


Nightmares and Dreamscapes

by Master_Magician



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-01 15:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4025263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_Magician/pseuds/Master_Magician
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve is hit by a mysterious attack during a mission, it leads Wanda on a journey the likes of which she never expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Enter the Dreamworld

**Author's Note:**

> A question: does anyone happen to know Wanda's age in Age of Ultron? Also her hair color? I'm curious.
> 
> Enjoy.

Wanda though that when she became an Avenger things would be different, she could be different. Maybe she would make less mistakes.

But once again it was all her fault.

They had tried, Sam doing his best to get her to at least get cleaned up when they got back but Wanda was having none of it. She was going to stay sitting in this chair and if they tried to forcefully remove her she was going to hex them into oblivion.

The one thing that would make her get up would be if Steve's blue eyes would suddenly open.

Unfortunately the possibility of that seemed to be fairly low.

Wanda wanted to be mad at the blonde but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He should have stayed where he was, not jumping in front of the attack meant for her. That was his nature though, always willing to take the pain, willing to suffer, so that another wouldn't have to.

If he wasn't unconscious Wanda would have throttled him before giving him a hug.

It all began so simple, a small raid on a black market genetics lab. The goal was to go in and shut the lab down, retrieving any useful information while they did so. It was so trivial that the entirety of the Avengers wasn't even deployed. It was only Steve, Sam and Wanda herself. Vision, Natasha, and Rhodey were busy elsewhere but had gotten back to the Avengers base in record time when they heard of the fall of their leader.

It wasn't until part way into their mission that they found out why it seemed too easy at first. Apparently the people running the place had been working with HYDRA recently. There wasn't just one or two enhanced being held on its grounds.

There was three.

To make matters worse, these three were not being held prisoner. They were there willingly, much like the Maximoff twins when they were with HYDRA in Sokovia. Unlike the twins, these three were utterly insane. Maybe they were always like that or maybe it happened because of whatever process gave them their abilities, whatever it was, the enhanced instantly ambushed them with the full intent to kill, skin, and maybe devour.

Not entirely in that order either.

Within moments it degenerated into a three on three battle to the death.

The first was a woman with eagle like wings, razor claws and toes, and apparently more than one imaginary friend. Sam went after her on his own in a fight that almost instantly turned into an aerial dogfight outside the building.

The second was a large burly man whose fist were literally able to punch through steel. Wanda never did find out if he actually had enhanced strength like Steve or if it was just the crystal growths on his hands that allowed him to do so.

The third was the nasty one, he was Wanda's opponent. The man seemed to be able to both manipulate and create smoke into an offensive weapon. His attacks were not just physical but mental as well, just like Wanda's own powers. A person couldn't see it just by looking, but Wanda could since her abilities were similar in nature. To add further creepiness to the encounter, he repeatedly asked her if he could "take her dancing in the darkness".

Wanda had no clue what that meant and neither did she want to know.

At first Wanda's battle went quite well. Since becoming an Avenger, she had honed her abilities much more than she ever had. It was a testament to just how strong the Smoke Man was that he held his own against her for so long.

Things took a sudden turn for the worst when Wanda was slammed against a wall and pinned there by two smoke tendrils wrapped around her wrists.

With a smile of manic glee the Smoke Man approached her asking that same disturbing question he had been asking the whole time.

Wanda never got a chance to think before a blast of pure black smoke was launched right at her .

It never got a chance to reach her before Steve jumped from nowhere directly in front of the attack. Whatever it was, Steve's shield did nothing to stop it. The super soldier hitting the ground nearby unmoving.

"Steve!" Wanda had screamed just as the ceiling suddenly broke open. The birdlike enhanced suddenly flying down and crashing into the Smoke Man. Killing him on impact.

Wanda and Sam rushed the blonde back to base to be looked over by the doctor's when they couldn't wake him up.

The news had been bittersweet. Physically he was fine, the serum in his blood already healing any injuries inflicted in the fight. For reason's the doctor's couldn't figure out, Steve had slipped into a deep coma. The doctors had also said something about rapid eye movement and intense dreaming.

Regardless, nothing would wake him up.

That was how Wanda found herself sitting in this chair beside the captain's bed. The only reason he was in this predicament was because she didn't fight hard enough. The super soldier had to come in and save her.

The other Avenges, especially Sam and Natasha came in regularly to visit the captain. The whole while Wanda would remain unmoving. If it was her fault he was there, the least she could do was keep him company until he woke up.

What was that smoke attack that hit Steve? Whatever it was, it was why Steve was currently still in his coma. It almost seemed a lot like...

Wanda's eyes shot open as she jumped up from her chair. That was it!

She dashed from the room to find the others. She ended up not needing to go far. She literally crashed into Sam as he had been about to walk into the room.

"Jeeze little witch. Where you off to so fast?" Sam began before something dawned on him. "You actually leaving cap's side? Wo..."

First Wanda crushed her annoyance at the nickname, next she shoved him out the room before he could finish his sentence.

"Go get the others now. It's about Steve." Sam instantly ran off to do as she ordered.

While Wanda waited she moved back to Steve's bedside. Her plan was an extreme long shot but it was all they had.

Wanda didn't have to wait long. Very soon he had several out of breath Avengers waiting for her in the hallway. All she had to do was figure out a way to explain this to them.

"Mr. Wilson said you wished to see us?" Vision's British accent was the first to speak as Wanda exited the room. Since she still didn't want to leave, she compromised and stood in the doorway with her back to Steve.

"I think I may be able to help him." Wanda began timidly. At the looks of the others she continued. "I think that enhanced we fought had powers similar to mine."

"You mean like that mind thingy that you do?" Rhodes interrupted.

Wanda instantly brushed the interruption off. "Yes, I think..." This was the part Wanda really hoped she was wrong about but if she wasn't...

THe young woman swallowed hard to speak past the quickly forming lump in her throat. "He's not actually in a coma. He's asleep."

Vision was the first to connect the dots. "If his powers were like yours, he is currently having a nightmare."

Wanda shook her head. "No, worse. Natasha? Do you remember when we first met?"

"Clearly." Natasha spoke the word calmly but not without an icy edge. Wanda couldn't blame her for that. It had been a horrible day for her and most of the old Avengers. Again all because of Wanda.

"Imagine that, but instead of recovering somewhat soon and waking up, you just relive it again and again." Wanda was impressed her voice remained even.

Natasha's eyes shot open wide at that statement. She definitely understood how dire Steve's situation was.

Wanda looked over her shoulder at the super soldier on the bed as she bit her lip. "He's being forced to relive his darkest nightmares time after time."

"No mind, no matter how strong, can take only so much before it breaks." Vision spoke quietly but everyone heard it.

"We need to wake him up now." Natasha all but snarled.

"How are we supposed to do that? We tried everything sort of setting him on fire!" Sam shot back.

"I... may have an idea." Wanda's voice, again shy, cut the two off before anymore bickering could continue.

"How?"

" It's not something I've ever done but I could attempt to enter his mind and pull him out that way." Wanda explained as she again looked back at Steve. " I don't know if I can but it is all I have."

Wanda wasn't sure what reaction to her idea she was expecting. She thought Natasha at least would at least give her a glare and tell her she was not allowed anywhere near Steve's head. The redhead still had trust issues involving the younger Avenger.

To her utmost surprise, Natasha practically shoved her into the room with the words "get your witchy ass in there and bail his ass out!"

Wanda scowled at being called a witch again but brushed it off. There were more important concerns at the moment.

Taking a seat back in her vigil chair, Wanda turned her gaze upon Steve. She could do this, Steve always did so much to look out for her. Today was her turn to repay the favor.

"I'll stand guard until you get back." Natasha took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.

Wanda took a deep breath to calm herself as she reached out and took Steve's hand in hers.

Reaching out with her own mind, Wanda found Steve's almost instantly. Latching onto it, Wanda relaxed herself as much as possible. It made the link easier to create and maintain.

Just then, everything went dark.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the Avengers watched as Wanda's body suddenly went limp, her head falling forward to land on Steve's arm.

"Think it'll work?" Rhodey spoke first.

"If there is anyone here who can pull this off, it's Wanda." Sam reassured the others as he gazed down at the two out cold Avengers with a knowing smile.


	2. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Wanda begins her foray into Steve's mind, she encounters new faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this a lot faster than I was expecting to. I thought about waiting a week before posting but I've always been the kind of writer who can't not post when I've finished something.
> 
> Enjoy.

Wanda slowly raised her head from where it was laying on the hospital bed. Looking around, she was at first puzzled by what she saw.

The hospital room was empty, no Natasha, no Sam, no one at all. Even more eerie was the sound. It was so quiet that Wanda could even hear her own breath and heartbeat in her chest.

"Natasha?" Wanda called out into the silence. "Sam? Steve?"

No answer.

Just as Wanda was staring to get worried, all of the memories came flooding back at once.

"No mind, no matter how strong, can take only so much before it breaks."

"I... may have an idea."

"Get your witchy ass in there and bail his ass out!"

Wanda felt as if she was punched in the stomach. Letting out a soft gasp, she doubled over clutching the empty infirmary bed for support.

"Steve..." Wanda wheezed out as she sucked in a deep breath.

Closing her eyes, Wanda focused her mind back to her goal. Her idea worked, she was here in Steve's dream world. Now all she had to do was find him and... get him out.

Which she still had no idea how to do even if she did find him in here. Neither did she know what would be waiting for her once here.

Wanda had neglected to explain everything to the rest of the Avengers for fear that they would try to stop her. If Steve was indeed trapped within his own nightmares, those same nightmares would do everything in their power to bar her way.

Those same entities would not hesitate to kill her.

When she first encountered the captain, Wanda had scanned through his thoughts to force him into a nightmare like she did the rest of the original Avengers. To do so required a very fast skim off the top of their minds. In short, Wanda didn't know what Steve was truly afraid of deep within the layers of his subconscious. The things that people feared were not always their true fears. Sometimes the real fear came from further below, from the darkest recesses of the mind.

"One problem as a time." Wanda willed her breathing back under control and moved for the door.

The hallways was no different from the infirmary room. Completely empty and devoid of both life and sound. Each step of Wanda's boots on the floor echoed down the hall like the banging of a hammer.

"Steve?" Wanda yelled. "Where are you?" The words echoed into the stagnant air down the hall but except for the return of her own voice, Wanda heard no response.

The Avengers facility so empty was a lot creepier than Wanda would have imagined. Even when it was nighttime, the compound always had people moving about. The night crew was of course smaller than their daytime counterparts but the halls were rarely truly empty like this.

Turning a corner, Wanda stopped dead in her tracks. "What the...?"

Ahead of her was a empty city street. Taking a step back and looking over her shoulder, Wanda saw she was back at the Avengers compound. Looking back ahead the street greeted her vision.

Rule number one of traveling in a dream world, proportions don't exist in the slightest.

Shrugging her shoulders, Wanda stepped forward. Her boots making a soft click they moved from the metallic floor of the Avengers base to the concrete sidewalk of the street.

When she turned to look behind her again, Wanda found the rest of the street behind her and the Avengers base nowhere in sight.

The street was no better than the base. Not a person was in sight anywhere. There wasn't even the rustle of wind in Wanda's hair.

Wanda didn't have a clue what city this was. It seemed to be different from the streets she grew up on in Sokovia alongside Pietro. For starters, all the signs were in English. Even stranger, there was electricity but no neon signs like Wanda had seen when she visited New York with Sam and Steve. Such a things was regular advertising for modern stores but apparently not here.

The cars too were not right. Wanda had seen enough modern cars in her time to know what they looked like and these were definitely not it. They seemed to be... older.

The memory of Pietro snuggled up beside her brought a pang of sorrow in Wanda's heart, but she had accepted long ago that her twin was gone from this world. No tears, no prayers, nothing could bring him back. So she did what he would have wanted, be the hero who protects the innocent.

It was Steve who gave her that chance. Wanda owed him much, so much so that she could never truly repay him for all he had done for her. It was part of the reason why she was so willing to dive into the world of his darkest nightmares to save him.

Perhaps this street was where Steve was from? Being from the 40s would explain why everything seemed different. Over sixty years was quite a long time for things to change.

Wanda slowly ran her fingers across a nearby parked car as she made her way down the street. It was strange, the metal of the car was cool and solid beneath her touch. It felt so real despite the fact Wanda knew what she was seeing and feeling was just a mental image. Not being able to instantly tell the difference was more than a little unnerving.

"Hello." The voice instantly split the silence like a bomb going off.

Wanda was so surprised by the sound that she almost screamed. For a split second, she was grateful Pietro didn't see that. She would have never heard the end of it.

As if things could get any stranger, the newcomer was a little girl. She couldn't have been more than eight years old, wearing a simple blue dress with blonde hair in a ponytail. The girl's smile was bright as she looked up at Wanda in excitement.

"Umm... Hello?" Wanda was at a loss for words. Who was this girl and where did she come from?

"Who are you?" The girl tilted her head to the side.

Something was not right about this girl. First of all, Wanda recognized her from somewhere but where exactly was unknown. Secondly, there was her dark eyes. It made Wanda feel like the girl already knew who she was but was asking for some reason known only to herself.

Wanda was not someone who knew how to deal with children. Imaginary dream world children, real children, it didn't matter. Just being around them made her nervous.

"My name is Wanda, what's yours?" As Wanda spoke, she dropped down to her knees to be closer to eye level with her newfound company.

"Aliza." The girl answered. "You have such a pretty name."

Wanda found herself smiling despite herself. "Thank you Aliza, you have a pretty name too."

Again it got odder. That name, Aliza. Wanda heard it somewhere but where?

The girl smiled brightly as she took Wanda's hand into her smaller ones and pulled her along behind her. For being so small, the girl was surprisingly strong.

Then again, dream world logic.

"Where are we going Aliza?" Wanda decided to just follow along, maybe she could get some clues to where Steve was. If not, well at least Wanda didn't have to put up with the creepy silence anymore.

"We're going to go play!" Aliza said it was like the answer was obvious while she practically skipped as Wanda followed behind her. "Mommy and daddy will be calling me home soon and I don't have many friends to play with."

"Why don't you have friends?" Wanda knew exactly how that felt. Growing up on the streets of Sokovia, the only people she had was herself and Pietro. The other homeless... children should never be allowed anywhere near any of those animals.

No child, imaginary or real, should ever feel like that.

"Because..." Aliza began with what was seeming to be her normal cheery disposition when she froze.

"Aliza?" Wanda question as she moved to stand beside the little girl. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly there was a clap of thunder as the sky darkened. Winds that were previously nowhere to be found blew through the street heavily, throwing Wanda and Aliza's hair about.

"One of the bad people..." Aliza whimpered.

Wanda looked down at Aliza but her eyes shot open wide at what she saw. Aliza's face was contorted in pure terror, her eyes glassed over as she remained staring ahead at something only Aliza seemed able to see.

It was only through her training exercises with Natasha that Wanda's life was spared at that moment.

There was not enough time to bring up a shield so Wanda instead pushed Aliza out of the way as the first shot rang out into the street. At the same time, Wanda threw herself backwards. The bullet missed both and hit a nearby car instead.

Wanda barely had time to move before a second and third bullet were fired. She dove behind the same car before she was struck. Without being able to see the shooter, Wanda was running low on options.

"Aliza!" Are you hurt?" Wanda yelled over the sounds of more gunshots as she attempted to force her wildly beating heart to calm down.

The little girl gave no answer.

Wanda glanced out from behind her cover to find Aliza was nowhere in sight. Not even a trace that she had been there.

As yet another shot struck her impromptu cover, Wanda realized whoever their attacker was, Aliza was not their target. All of the bullets continued to hit where Wanda was. Not a single one went in the direction Aliza had been.

The girl had no doubt already escaped, that was at least a little reassuring to Wanda.

Swearing in her native tongue, Wanda quickly looked around for an escape route. The street was a shooting gallery, way too open. Whoever this was, they were likely in a good position to cover the street in their line of fire.

When Wanda lifted her head slightly, attempting to attempt a look at the shooter, she had to instantly duck back down when the back window of the car exploded and Wanda was showered with shards of broken glass.

It was starting to look like one of the storefronts was her only option. Surely they would have back entrances she could retreat through.

Wanda was shifting her position to prepare for a sprint when she saw the mouth of an alleyway fifteen foot away that hadn't been there before.

A sudden flame that erupted from the car she was hiding behind alerted Wanda to what was about to happen. There was no time to think on it, she ran for the alley.

She made it only part of the way before the car exploded.

Throwing up a shield behind her at the last moment, Wanda was hit by the explosion. The barrier not only saved her life but the force of the blast hurled her into the possible safety of the alley.

Hitting the ground hard, Wanda rolled her body to absorb the force of the impact just as Steve had taught her during one of their training exercises. She was spared from that but not from the impact as her body slammed into a large dumpster.

Wanda groaned as she forced herself to her feet. Clutching her injured arm with one hand, she ran down the alley opposite the end she arrived. Her attacker was no doubt already in pursuit, no time to examine or complain about any injuries.

She made it three steps when Wanda heard the clank of something hitting the ground behind her.

Without thinking, Wanda snatched onto the object with her powers and threw it back behind her moments before the grenade exploded in the air.

Right then was when Wanda saw the figure standing at the end of the alley. It was definitely male, he didn't seem to notice or feel the grenade detonate just outside range of hitting him. He wore a black suit that reminded Wanda of the tactical gear worn by some of the members of SHIELD. His hair was long and dark, covering most of his head except his face which was covered instead by some kind of facemask. There was something metallic on his hand, but whatever it was Wanda was more concerned about something else.

In his hand was a rifle, pointed directly at Wanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action came a little earlier than I expected too. I was almost surprised with the number of follows for this story too. Let me know what you all think in the reviews. I'd love to know what you all say.
> 
> Suggestions are also very welcome too.


	3. The Cabin on the Hill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda evades the Winter Soldier, proceeding deeper into the dream world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, I am surprised at the reception this story is receiving. So many views in just a few days, that's awesome! 
> 
> To those who were wondering, yes Pietro will be making an appearance. I just don't know when.
> 
> I wasn't planning on doing so soon an update but I just got some new music and with it a bunch of inspiration. So here we are once again.
> 
> Enjoy.

Despite being held at gunpoint, Wanda forced herself to remain calm. She never took her eyes from the man in black.

She recognized him after a moment. He was not a person she ever met, or had even heard of. She knew him from the memory of Steve when she was inside his mind. His name was not something she could remember at the moment but there was another name he went by.

The Winter Soldier.

Wanda was unsure what it was, but something about this man triggered a reaction whenever Steve thought about him. The super soldier had history with the Winter Soldier but it was unknown exactly what. If she had to guess, Wanda thought this must be an old enemy of some kind.

With a gun he was bad enough. But if he got within arm reach of Wanda she would be dead. Through Steve's memories she had seen glimpses of this man fighting the blonde in hand to hand combat. The pair were nearly equal in skill. The Winter Soldier might even have similar enhancements as the serum that gave Steve his own abilities.

Anyone that could fight on even footing with Captain America, and come so close to winning, was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

As long as he was using that rifle she had a better chance. No matter what she had to keep herself out of his hand's reach. Steve had shown Wanda some moves just in case she ever lost use of her powers, he even had Natasha do the same, but the Winter Soldier was so far out of her league it was nearly laughable.

If he was here and trying to kill her must mean he was part of the nightmares the Smoke Man had awakened. Anyone Steve was friends with wouldn't be so outright... hostile. Not without reason at least.

Wanda's eyes were already glowing red as crimson light began to dance along her hands and arms. She needed to make a move before the Winter Soldier did.

With a sweep of her arm, Wanda forced several bricks from a nearby wall loose. There were too many to dodge so instead the Winter Soldier shifted his body to the side allowing him to block several with the rifle while the rest bounced off his metallic arm with multiple clanks. The small missiles did next to no real damage. They were not the actual attack however, merely a distraction.

The dumpster, the same one Wanda had crashed into moments before, being shoved forward with a burst of telekinetic energy was.

When he turned back to face Wanda he was greeted by the large object slamming into him with enough force to throw him back and off his feet. The force of the impact should have broken bones, maybe even killed him. Instead the man was already climbing back to his feet and reaching for the rifle knocked out of his hand.

He must have some kind of enhancement to survive that!

Wanda was not about to waste a perfectly good opportunity. As soon as she threw the dumpster the woman turned and fled further down the alley before the Winter Soldier could recover.

If the gunshots following her were any indication, the man was not stunned for long.

A chunk of the brick wall beside Wanda's head suddenly exploded as she rounded the corner of the alley. That last shot was way too close for her comfort. The alleyway was proving to be a worse idea than a charge down the street. Because of a lack of objects in the narrow passageway there was next to no room to dodge the Winter Soldier's shots.

Regardless, Wanda just forced herself to keep running. Even while her lungs burned and her legs ached, she forced herself to keep moving. To stop or slow down would not just mean her death, but Steve would be left on his own in whatever hell he was being forced to face here.

She should have found an exit from the alleyways by now but apparently the dream world was out to get her by preventing that from happening.

Taking yet another turn, Wanda found herself running face first into an empty brick wall.

Wanda swore again, much louder this time, as she looked around for any escape. But there was none to be found. The alleyway dead ended here and there was nowhere to go back to. The Winter Soldier was way too close for her to even attempt to double back. If Wanda did she would be right in his sights.

The repeated tap tap of the Winter Soldier's boots was drawing closer and closer by the second. Any minute he would come around that corner and she would be a near perfect target.

There was a time Wanda would have been cowering in fear at the approach of such a deadly enemy. She would have been panicking and begging someone to come save her. But not today, not now. Wanda was an Avenger. Clint had taught her that Avengers don't run, don't hide. They stand and fight.

But more importantly, Steve was depending on her. The blonde would move heaven and earth for her or any of his team. If it were him here facing the Winter Soldier he wouldn't be crying in a corner, he'd be swinging the first punch.

Wanda could ask no less of herself.

"Come and get me you bastard!" Wanda screamed as her powers surged around her with wisps of scarlet colored energy. Flexing her fingers, Wanda prepared herself for the Winter Soldier's arrival.

Before he could come into her line of sight however something else caught Wanda's attention. Off to the side was a door that hadn't been there before.

Wanda quickly bolted for the door and threw her petite body into it just as the Winter Soldier rounded the corner. He never got a chance to fire a shot before Wanda was through and closing it with a heavy slam.

On the other side of the door, Wanda held both her hands on the barrier and waited for what the Winter Soldier would do. But there was not a sound or anything from his side. She expected him to pound on the door, shoot at it maybe, anything to break it down really.

It felt like an eternity that Wanda stood there with her hands bracing the door shut. After several very long minutes she rested her forehead on the cool metal and let out a breath of relief. She seemed to have lost him for now.

"Now whe..." Wanda began as she turned around her to see what store she wound up in but her mind ground to a halt at the sight before her.

It was not a storefront, in fact she wasn't even in the city anymore. Ahead of her was some path leading up a hill surrounded by trees. If the sounds of insects were any clue, Wanda was somewhere out in the country. She lacked a lot of knowledge about the geography of North America so where exactly she was there was no way of knowing.

Another possibility occurred to Wanda. She had linked her mind to Steve's to do this, so not everything she saw here in the dream world was guaranteed to be part of Steve.

That being said, Wanda spent her entire childhood on the streets of Sokovia and the rest in the clutches of HYDRA. She had never even seen what the country looked like until the incident with Ultron.

This had to be Steve.

Without realizing it, Wanda had already began walking up the pathway. The door she arrived through was already gone though. Much when she had left the Avengers base, the path behind her vanished when she passed through it.

Something was drawing Wanda along the pathway. She could feel something pulling on her mind. When she reached the top, she was greeted by a splendid view of the horizon. A vast plethora of colors painted the sunset in the distance with various hues of oranges and reds.

Judging by the view, Wanda assumed she must be somewhere in the mountains. But beyond that was anyone's guess.

Continuing along the path, Wanda found herself at a small mountain cabin. It was small, only one story and maybe a couple of rooms, with a small porch out front. Smoke poured from a chimney on the roof. In the windows Wanda could see the shapes of people moving around inside.

This was it, whatever it was drawing Wanda up the path was this cabin. She had never seen it before but something about just felt so homey and... welcoming. It was a feeling that Wanda couldn't remember ever having before. Not for a very, very long time at least.

Not since Wanda was a little girl of ten.

Wanda listened, at least two people were talking, maybe three. It was hard to tell. The sounds were like they were very far away. Wanda could tell they were words but that was it, she couldn't identify what said words were.

The moment Wanda put a foot on the porch there was a bright flash of light.

Wanda hissed softly as she covered her eyes with her arm. When she finally recovered, the cabin was nowhere in sight, neither was the mountain path she took to get there.

Wanda took in her surroundings instantly knowing the dream world must have shifted on her yet again but once more it was not a place she recognized.

She was now in the middle of a hazy forest. The fog was so thick that Wanda couldn't see very far in front of her. The dirt beneath her feet covered in a thin layer of frost.

Then there was the cold. The city and mountain path had both been fairly warm, but this place was not quite freezing but not all that warm either. If the leafless trees and frost were to be believed, it was winter in whatever place this was. Wanda could even see her breath every time she exhaled.

Pulling her red coat tighter around herself, Wanda began her resumed trek in a random direction. It was as good a plan as any other.

"YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE!" The earth shook as the voice echoed from the trees all around Wanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who have played it, you will see I took a little inspiration from a video game called The Evil Within. Also my update schedule is quite erratic, but the more reviews I get the faster I feel like making an update.


	4. Warzone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda's journey through Steve's mind continues through the battlefields of World War II.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy.

Wanda almost had to cover her ears from the sheer volume of the voice from around her. It felt like her skull was splitting open with each word.

"INTRUDER!" The voice boomed again. What was even more unnerving was how the voice spoke. It was as if dozens of people were talking at once. Men, women, children, all different kinds of voices were speaking together yet somehow managing to form words that were crystal clear to Wanda's ears. "YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE!"

"Who are you?" Wanda yelled to the sky.

The first response was maniacal laughter. Then came the words. "LITTLE ONE, LITTLE ONE LOST, LOST IN THE FOG." Even more of that twisted laughter followed.

Wanda looked around in bewilderment. Now what was she dealing with? She almost preferred the Winter Soldier to whoever this was. At least he was someone she could see and understand, even if he had been trying to kill her.

"THIS SHALL BE YOUR ONLY WARNING LITTLE ONE." The voice continued. "LEAVE THIS PLACE!"

Wanda opened her mouth to respond with a denial but she was instantly cut off.

"NOW!" This time there was a burst of air following the word that almost knocked Wanda down to the ground. She grabbed onto a nearby tree branch to catch herself just in time. When she stood back up she waited several long moments but whatever it was that was talking had apparently left.

The forest was back to stony silence.

At least for a few moments, then Wanda heard the whistling.

Even after so many years it was a sound she was all too familiar with. A high pitched tune that inspired a sense of utter terror and dread.

Hearing it triggered memories that she never could bury completely. A happy family of four sitting at the dinner table. Four becoming two, two tiny shapes huddled together in fear underneath a bed. Two children waiting days to die.

Wanda barely managed to summon up a shield before the artillery shell struck.

If it had been a direct hit, Wanda was unsure if her barrier would have been able to take it. But since it hit a short ways away it was able to endure the attack. The only true threat was the shrapnel sent out by the blast but they just bounced off the crimson shell of energy.

Wanda was about to drop her shield but a second shell struck moments after the first.

In the blink of an eye, her surroundings had changed. She was still in the same foggy forest, but was no longer alone.

There were men rushing past her from seemingly everywhere. Most of them appeared to be wearing the same uniform. They were screaming something but their voices were drowned out by gunfire and the sounds of each other. The most she could tell was that they were speaking English.

Being orphaned at ten, Wanda never had much book knowledge. Pairing what little she did have with what she recalled from the memories of Steve, she was able to figure out somewhat where she had ended up this time. This was yet another segment of Steve's memories.

The gunfire, the bombs, the uniformed men, it all added up to a single thing.

This was the battlefields of World War II.

Wanda found herself ducking behind a fallen tree as multiple bullets whizzed over her head. Beside her were several other men, all apparently using the same tree for cover just like she was.

Suddenly one of the men fell back with a cry of pain, blood starting to pool in the front of his uniform over his chest.

"Robbie!" One of the other men next to him dropped his gun to rush over to the wounded man. Wanda watched as the second pressed a dirty cloth to the chest of 'Robbie' in a attempt to stop the bleeding.

While bullets and more explosions were coming right at them, the other man never for a moment let go of Robbie. Even as a large cloud of dirt splattered over everyone hiding behind that tree he didn't seem to notice.

Robbie however didn't seem to be responsive.

"Hey," Wanda moved over to the pair but he didn't seem to hear her. Instead he just repeatedly tried shaking his friend as if he was just sleeping and needed to be woken up. Only Robbie wasn't sleeping, he was already long gone.

"Come on buddy... get up. Michelle and junior are waiting back home for ya." When the man's begging plea reached Wanda's ears, her breath caught in her throat. The tears in his eyes only made the picture all the more heart wrenching. "We still owe Jerry a beating."

Wanda covered her mouth to hold back a quiet gasp upon hearing the one sided exchange. This man was a husband, a father. In just a fraction of a second that life was snuffed out. A husband and father who would never get to go home to see his family. A family would never get to see their father ever again.

Another child was going to grow up without a father. A childhood of bedtime stories, of birthdays, and love. All of it demolished by a single act.

"Hey," Wanda's voice shook as she tried to get his attention again but this time she moved to shake his arm. But he didn't seem to even feel her touch. He could have very easily been so focused on his friend that he didn't notice her.

Right then Wanda noticed Robbie wasn't the only one laying still on the battlefield, he was one of the lucky ones though. They were the ones that died quickly, like Robbie with a bullet through the heart or by another method equally swift.

The true horror came from those less fortunate as men like Robbie. Everywhere they lay on the frozen ground, bleeding, screaming, and pleading for help. Even if they could be heard over the roar of battle, there were not enough men going around to tend to them all. Most were too busy just trying to stay alive.

Wanda could only stare at the carnage around her and question it all. Why was so much pain and suffering allowed to happen? What could possibly be worth all of this?

How many of the men on this battlefield were like Robbie? Each man that fell was another perspective family who had to go on without a husband or a father.

Just being here, for what was undoubtedly only a few minutes, was nearly too much for Wanda to handle. But then there was Steve. He had been on the frontlines of this war. Wanda was here as just an observer, she knew none of these men. But the super soldier did, many of these could have been his friends. People he ate dinner beside, people he lived beside.

Wanda was watching the past. No matter how much it seemed so, none of this was truly real. It happened long ago. Steve though... he lived this very thing.

How much had he been forced to take?

How many battles did he see that were just like this?

How many friends did he have to watch die?

"Wanda! Look out!" The sound of her name made the woman look up.

Just in time for yet another artillery shell to land almost on top of her.

The cover she was using was all but obliterated on impact. Wanda tried to call up one of her shields but she was too late. To make matters worse, the shell was almost a direct hit.

Where the group of men were, all that remained was a smoking crater. Wanda's partially created barrier was the only thing that stopped her from sharing in the same fate. Instead of being killed, she was thrown from her feet and knocked her head on something in the process.

Wanda laid there in the frosted dirt for several long moments. She was barely able to get back up to her knees. Her head swimming in dizziness while her ears wouldn't stop ringing.

"You need to get up." A blurry figure came running up to her side and helped her back to her feet with an arm beneath hers.

The moment she was up, her rescuer was pulling her away. In no condition to resist all that much, she simply followed without question.

Occasionally the woman would trip or stumble, either on a large root or just because she still couldn't see all that well. Whoever it was that was helping her either did not notice or pretended not to.

With the dazed Wanda in tow, the shape soon had her pulled away from the battlefield.

Wanda's vision slowly started to lose the blurriness with each step. The gunfire and screams were distant sounds when the figure Wanda was following became clear enough to see. They were facing forward to see where the pair were going but Wanda could at least tell it was male. That was not what caught the woman's eye. She knew who this man was.

The Winter Soldier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be longer and part of this next section but I liked the cliffhanger where it ended so I made it a chapter on its own.
> 
> Let me know what you all think.


	5. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda encounters her first ally in the nightmare, but also meets her true enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know it's a bit shorter than I would have liked but I wanted this to have a chapter on its own.
> 
> Enjoy.

Wanda quickly recovered from her shock at seeing the Winter Soldier so close. She reacted in the only way she thought was appropriate.

With a bolt of energy directly into his back.

The Winter Soldier was hit dead on at point blank range, sending the man flying forward to crash into a nearby tree.

The forest was not like the streets of the city. There was very little cover for her to use save the trees and they would not be all that good an option anyway. On the brighter side that worked both ways. The Winter Soldier had no cover with which to use either, giving Wanda a clear line of sight to launch attacks.

"Ow... what was that for?" The Winter Soldier stood back up rubbing the back of his head.

The voice made Wanda pause, confusion all over her face. The last time she encountered the Winter Soldier he hadn't said a word. Only pursued her like a bloodhound to kill her.

Now he was talking?

Upon seeing that there was more red energy radiating out from Wanda, the Winter Soldier froze and held his hands up as if in surrender. "Whoa whoa! Easy there, I'm not going to hurt you."

With one look, Wanda saw that this man was slightly different than the one that attacked her. He wore the same tactical gear, so from the back the two were identical. It was from the front that the differences could be seen. First of all, he wasn't carrying a rifle or any weapon really. The most obvious change was his face. This man was not wearing the facemask that the Winter Soldier wore. There was something about his features that she knew but was another thing she couldn't place.

"Yes, not going to hurt me, sure." Wanda charged another bolt as she growled. "You tried to shoot me earlier!"

The Winter Soldier looked at her in confusion. "I never seen you until a sec..." He stopped midsentence before understanding flashed across his features followed by a wince. "Ahhh... you met the Winter Soldier."

"Aren't you the Winter Soldier?" Wanda was still glaring at him with a charged bolt but had lowered her hand. It would only take a fraction of a second to hurl the missile anyway.

"No I'm not exactly the Winter Soldier." The man pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a sigh of exasperation. When he did, Wanda saw that he also had the same metal arm the Winter Soldier did.

" James Buchanan Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky." He held up a hand as if for a handshake but after seeing Wanda's withering look he instantly lowered it.

"Bucky?" Wanda questioned. "Wait... I know that name..."

Bucky chuckled. "I first met Steve many years ago, I guess I'm his oldest living friend."

Wanda's eyes widened. She recognized his face now. After joining the Avengers, she had looked into the history of some of them. Especially their leader Steve Rogers. When Wanda was asked she said that she wanted to know some of the people she worked with. When in truth she was just curious about Steve himself.

One of the things she looked into was his record during World War II. He served alongside a group he formed himself named the Howling Commandos. All of whom survived the war save Steve himself and his best friend since childhood, Bucky Barnes.

"I know who you are too. You're a friend of Steve's. Wanda Maximoff." Bucky's words snapped Wanda out of the trance she was slipping into. There was something about the way he said the word 'friend' that sounded off. There was his smile that had the same effect, it was like he knew something she didn't.

"How do you know who I am?" Wanda considered slapping herself after the words passed her lips. She was in Steve's mind, if the man was indeed Bucky Barnes then of course he would know who she was!

Bucky ignored her slip of the tongue. "So you already encountered the Winter Soldier eh? Not very nice is he?"

"Why do you two look almost the same?" Wanda asked while she dissolved the energy pulsing around her hand. Bucky was no threat, in fact he might be one of the few allies in the dream world.

Bucky leaned against a nearby tree while he turned his gaze to the ground. "We are both actually the Winter Soldier but the two different sides Steve sees. On one side," Bucky lifted a hand palm up to the air. "You have the Winter Soldier, a ruthless and pitiless killing machine. It's who Steve saw me as in D.C. for our first meeting in over seventy years."

From what Wanda had heard about Bucky, losing him must have been a blow like no other to Steve. Bucky was the closest thing to a brother Steve ever had. To see him suddenly come back as a killer and not even remember you? The very thought made Wanda shiver internally.

"You've met him already." Bucky continued while he raised his other hand to match the first, a forlorn look crossing his face. "Then you have me, his best friend and brother. The man he grew up beside and fought beside. Steve believes with all his heart I'm still in the Winter Soldier somewhere. One of his greatest hopes is that he can break through and bring me back."

"And can he?"

Bucky smiled and shrugged. "I'm a figment of his imagination Wanda, Steve thinks he can. Beyond that I can't say."

"If anyone can do it, it's Steve." Wanda firmly believed in Steve. There were few more determined to support or protect his team and friends. To the super soldier the two things were the same. He would go to the ends of the earth and beyond for the people he cared about.

Wanda could not call herself an Avenger if she did any less for the captain.

"What?" Bucky was giving Wanda that grin again. The one that told her he knew something she didn't. Oddly enough, it reminded Wanda of that girl Aliza. She had a similar look.

"Oh nothing important. But on a more serious note, Steve's in trouble. So you came here to save him?" Bucky moved away from the tree and closer to Wanda.

"Yes," the young woman responded without hesitation.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Knowing if you were killed here your body would be turned into a mindless husk?"

"Yes."

Bucky laughed. "Steve always did inspire loyalty. But that isn't really why you're here is it?"

"Umm... what do you mean?" Wanda found herself starting to blush without realizing it. Of course she was here to rescue Steve. Why else would she be risking life and limb in a nightmare?

"I think I get it. You haven't admitted it to yourself yet." Bucky's grin never faded. "You will before long."

Wanda was just about to ask him to elaborate on what he was talking about when the laughter tore through the otherwise silence of the forest around them.

The voice was the same as the one Wanda heard when she first arrived in the forest.

"Shit! He's here." On pure reflex, Wanda and Bucky moved so that they were standing back to back. Red sparks of energy were already radiating from Wanda's body as she moved her eyes back and forth trying to find the source. Unfortunately it was exactly like before, there was no one in sight.

"Who's here?" Wanda questioned Bucky behind her. He seemed to know what was going on.

"Hello little one." The voice made Wanda's blood run cold, she'd heard it before. But it couldn't be him.

Slowly, Wanda turned her head to face the third person standing in the forest. He hadn't been standing there a moment ago. He was exactly as she remembered him, just before she watched him die.

"May I take you dancing in the darkness?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we see the true enemy behind the nightmare. Let me know what you all think.


	6. The Smoke Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda comes face to face with her real enemy in the dream world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for most of this chapter goes out to a writer named Wild West Pyro for the original idea. The chapter is based on the Dresden bombings towards the end of World War II, the event itself took place after Steve went into the ice however. I discovered that after I did a little research. So history is a little shifted for the sake of this story.
> 
> Also a few people have brought up the possibility of seeing Peggy here. I think Steve moved on from her by the end of Age of Ultron. Bucky is a different story because he's not pretty much gone like everyone else from Steve's old life. Peggy has (I think) mild dementia and is on her deathbed essentially. She moved on and married someone else so Steve has to do the same. He understands that at the end of Age of Ultron.
> 
> Enjoy.

Wanda could only stare on in horror. The Smoke Man, she watched him die with her own eyes. Why the hell would he be within Steve's dream world? The super soldier had known him for a grand total of a few minutes.

None of them even knew his name, Wanda had just taken to calling him the 'Smoke Man' so as to have a name for him.

It only took a second to dawn on her what happened.

The Smoke Man's attack that Steve dove in front of. It was the first act of the play that was this nightmare Wanda was experiencing. Everything had been set in motion by that single event.

If the Smoke Man's powers were anything like Wanda's... he had sent a part of his mind into Steve when the super soldier took the hit. This led to another realization that sent shivers down Wanda's spine.

The attack was originally meant for her.

She was the one supposed to be in Steve's place. If the super soldier hadn't of been so protective and self-sacrificing then she would be the one trapped inside the terror of her own mind. Only there would have been no one to come to her rescue.

One question remained though, what was the Smoke Man's final goal? Was he just here to make Steve suffer? To kill him?

"Wanda, get out of here, now." Bucky snarled as he drew a knife from its sheath on his leg that wasn't there before.

The young woman wasn't able to say a word before Bucky was charging the Smoke Man. At first the Smoke Man made no move to avoid the impending attack. At the last moment, and with a sweep of his arm, a column of smoke appeared behind him. Bucky couldn't move fast enough to dodge it. The vapor swatted the man aside like a gnat, sending him flying to crash into a nearby tree.

"Now that that's out of the way." The Smoke Man smiled as he turned to face Wanda. "I've been looking for you my dear."

Wanda found herself taking an involuntary step back while the panic started welling up in her chest.

"I sensed your presence when you first arrived but it took me a while to find you." There was something Wanda found disturbing about the Smoke Man's smile.

"Where is Steve?" Wanda forced her unease down, making herself sound confident and unafraid.

"Ahh, the noble captain. He's around here somewhere." The Smoke Man took a casual look at their surroundings. "Oh you'll find him eventually I'm sure."

"Why are you doing this?" Wanda snapped, red light beginning to writhe around her hands. If the Smoke Man was the one behind all of this then he could be immensely powerful here. Much more so than when Wanda faced him back in reality.

But she wasn't going to let that stop her from getting to Steve.

"I've learned some interesting things since I arrived here my little witch." The Smoke Man ignored Wanda's question. The dismissal made Wanda seethe with anger, while that stupid nickname coming from him made her skin crawl.

"Where is he?!" Wanda roared as she hurled a bolt of energy at the man.

The Smoke Man didn't even flinch as a the attack neared him. Just as with Bucky, smoke appeared at the last moment to knock it away. The Smoke Man's smile never fading, and his eyes never leaving Wanda.

"Quite feisty aren't you?" Wanda was torn between anger and an overwhelming sense of creepiness

"Now then..."

The Smoke Man's next words were severed in half when Bucky came from seemingly nowhere and leapt onto him from behind.

"Wanda RUN!" Bucky all but screamed as he shoved the Smoke Man down into the frosted dirt.

Wanda didn't think, with her mind so jumbled she just picked a direction and ran.

She was going to have to face the Smoke Man eventually, while his mind still lived within Steve's there was the possibility that Wanda would never be able to pull him out. It was a problem for another time though. First she had to find Steve, then they could go from there.

It didn't take long for the Smoke Man to dislodge Bucky. He tried to lunge at him again but the Smoke Man threw another cloud of smoke at him and pinned him to another tree.

Bucky tried frantically to break free but the hold was too strong.

"Such distractions." The Smoke Man waved a finger back and forth at Bucky while his voice took on a sing song tone. "Oh little bird, little bird where do you fly?"

The Smoke Man's voice echoed through the forest much like it did before. Wanda pretended not to noticed, instead focusing on putting as much distance between her and the Smoke Man as possible.

Twin columns of vapor appeared behind the Smoke Man. The pair slowly swirled until they coalesced into small shapes. Two small goblin like creatures formed from the seemingly living smoke and rose to sniff the air.

"If you would be so kind, please bring her to me." The Smoke Man smiled as he caressed the heads of the two smog monsters.

The duo growled in acceptance and raced off after Wanda.

Even with Wanda having a head start, the two creatures were catching up fast. She could hear their small feet clicking rapidly on the frozen ground as they got closer and closer.

It wasn't until they were almost right on top of her that Wanda struck.

Without breaking stride, Wanda spun around on her heel. A nearby log proved to be the perfect weapon. Wanda snatched the large piece of wood up with her powers and hurled it toward her attackers. The first proved too slow and was smashed beneath the wood while the second was slightly quicker, it was able to jump over it in time. When it did, Wanda struck it point blank with an energy bolt.

It was a second later that Wanda realized they were a distraction. The real attack came in the form of a column of smoke striking her directly to the stomach.

The air was instantly blown from Wanda's lungs as she doubled over in pain. It was like being hit by a piece of rock instead of air. A second hit struck a moment later that threw her through the air. Wanda was unable to react quick enough to prevent the fall, she struck her head on a large nearby tree root.

While the world spun, Wanda desperately tried to get back to her feet. The Smoke Man was no doubt closing in and she needed to get away.

Using the tree for support, she was able to at least stand up. That was about all she was able to do though. Everything was fuzzy and whirling around her.

When everything suddenly came back into focus, Wanda saw that the environment had shifted yet again.

She was no longer even in a forest. What was a tree a few moments ago was now a brick wall of a building. It was like when she opened a door that led to a forest in the middle of a city. Only this time the path was reversed.

Thinking about the dream world logic was starting to give Wanda a headache. It was either that or the recent head trauma, maybe both.

It was definitely a different city, Wanda knew that much when she looked around. The signs before had been in English and the very environment was warm and, apart from the Winter Soldier trying to kill her, had been quite serene.

This city was icy cold, even more so than the forest. It was just as lifeless as the first city but this was more like an uneasy stifling kind of silence instead of peaceful. The signs were in what Wanda assumed must have been German. There was a stench in the air Wanda had known all too well having grown up on the war torn streets of Sokovia.

It was the scent of death and decay, it was everywhere, clinging to everything.

There was one other obvious thing that stuck out. The first city Wanda has seen had been in perfect condition, as if the citizens had left only moments before. This one was completely ripped apart. Demolished buildings were all over the place along with craters no doubt from artillery strikes. Not a single building in sight was even in halfway good condition.

All it took was a blink for everything to change again.

They were like ghosts, partially invisible people were running every which direction. When one of the ghost people passed straight through Wanda she felt a chill like no other.

They were screaming but since it was in German Wanda had no way of knowing what.

"Wanda!" A voice yelled from a nearby alley. It was a voice the woman instantly recognized.

"Aliza?" It was the same little girl Wanda had met shortly after arriving in the dream world. She looked exactly the same as when she encountered her earlier.

Now they she had time to think on it, Wanda noticed some things about the girl. She was no expert but for starters her hair was almost an identical shade of blonde as Steve's. Another thing that stood out was her nose and overall face, also looked similar to Steve's.

In fact... Aliza looked almost like she could be Steve's little sister. But did the super soldier even have a sister? If he did it would explain her presence here. Pietro would no doubt be in Wanda's mind as her twin brother.

Whoever Aliza was, it was an issue for another time because right now instead of a friendly smile, Aliza looked absolutely terrified.

"Wanda come on!" Aliza screamed as she waved her arms frantically for Wanda to follow her.

Just then Wanda heard a loud siren echo across the city. It was so deafening that it drowned out the screams of the ghostly people.

Unsure what else to do, Wanda dashed over to Aliza. The little girl instantly snatched her hand and pulled her along into the alley. Exactly how she had done so earlier only instead of taking Wanda somewhere to play, Aliza seemed to be trying to take her somewhere else.

Wanda found herself wondering if the Winter Soldier was going to make another appearance. Aliza was able to sense his presence last time.

"We need to get somewhere safe." Aliza pulled Wanda along with a lot more strength than her tiny frame should of been capable of.

The two females rounded a corner when they literally ran into Bucky. The man seemed uninjured from his brief one sided battle with the Smoke Man. But he looked just as panicked as Aliza.

"Thank god you found her Aliza! Come on, we don't have long." Bucky moved behind her and pushed her along while Aliza pulled.

So Bucky knew her? If he was indeed Steve's childhood friend that brought a bit more credibility to the little sister theory.

"Not long until what?" Wanda finally asked.

Wanda received her answer when she began hearing explosions in the distance.

Lots of explosions. Far too many to be from the firing of artillery batteries. Even so Wanda knew the sound of that and this was something else.

Wanda found out just what when a large plane soared overhead, multiple bombs being dropped.

Directly where the three of them were running.

"Through here!" Bucky body slammed a nearby door open with his metallic arm. The other two followed him through and into the building as the explosives began landing where they had been.

The door was nowhere near strong enough to take the force unfortunately. The trio had to jump across a store counter to take cover.

Wanda coughed as the room filled with smoke and small particles of debris in the air. Rising back to her feet, Wanda saw that the entire wall on the side of the alley had been obliterated by the blast.

The reprieve lasted less than a few heartbeats before Wanda was once more being dragged along by Aliza and Bucky.

"That's just the opening wave." Bucky explained as the three went out the front door of the demolished building. "The incendiaries are next."

"Anything in the area still alive will be turned to ash." Aliza spoke with a morbid tone no little girl should have.

Bucky seemed to know exactly where they were going. He grabbed onto Wanda's arm with his own and pulled her across the street to a different building. This one much larger and somewhat intact as opposed to the last one. Judging from the stalls inside plus the large metal vault in back, this structure was once a bank of some kind.

The group made in through the front door just before the first incendiary bomb landed right in front of the building.

Wanda had to act fast. She threw up a shield to block the flames as the other two made for the back. Wanda slowly backed up, keeping the barrier up as she went. But more bombs were quickly falling, making the flames coming at them even stronger.

For a moment, the fire backed away much to Wanda's surprise and relief. Even though it was not coming at her anymore Wanda made sure not to slack in maintaining her defense. That feeling of relief was quickly dashed when the flames swirled around and took on multiple smiling faces, all of the same person.

A certain smoke wielding person.

Wanda had just enough time to blink before the flames slammed into her shield with renewed vigor. The impact was so strong that Wanda was almost knocked off her feet but she held on.

When she finally reached the door, Wanda dropped the shield and dove through the doorway. She felt the fire strike her back just before Bucky slammed the large vault door shut.

When Aliza rushed over to Wanda, she thought the little girl was going to try to pat the flames out but instead she grasped Wanda's coat and simply tore it from her body. Aliza then hurled the burning garment across the small room to smack against the far wall.

Wanda let checked all over her body for injury but there were no burns, maybe a little bit of singed hair. The flames never got past her coat, there was a reason she wore it on mission.

"Are you okay?" Aliza was on her knees looking Wanda dead in the eyes. There was something about those eyes Wanda had seen before but just like the girl's name, she couldn't place it.

"Ladies I hate to interrupt but company is getting... restless." Bucky groaned from the vault door he was still holding shut. And hold it shut was what he needed to do because if the banging from the outside was any hint, the flames were trying hard to get in by breaking the door down.

Bucky jerked his flesh hand away from the door with a hiss. No doubt the metal was getting burning hot to the touch. He instead pushed the shoulder of his metal arm against the door and pushed his entire body weight into the hot metal to keep it closed.

Aliza rushed over to him and pushed her own lithe body against his to help as much as she possibly could.

At the same time, Wanda reached out with her powers to reinforce the barrier keeping the flames out. It reminded her of when she first fought beside Steve. The train they were on had been out of control and she used her powers to slow, and soon stop, the vehicle.

Only this time there would be no stopping until the Smoke Man gave up or melted through the door. It was made of very thick metal but under prolonged heat it would give way eventually.

To make matters worse, the flames outside were growing even stronger. Wanda was forced to exert more energy to strengthen her defense on the vault door. Bucky could hold the door shut but it wouldn't help any when it turned to liquid.

As much as Wanda didn't want to admit it, her powers were the only thing standing between them and being roasted alive.

If Wanda died here there would be no one to save Steve from the Smoke Man. The super soldier would die here alone and trapped in his own nightmares.

It was something Wanda refused to let happen.

The door was beginning to melt, Bucky had to jump back to avoid is body actually falling into the wall of molten metal.

But Wanda refused to give up without a fight. Even when it became hard to breathe, when her head felt like it was going to explode, even when her nose began bleeding from the overexertion, she held her ground.

A scream of pure defiance tore from her lips as the shield's strength increased several fold. Her eyes glowing bright red with energy. Images of Steve and the other Avengers flashed through her mind one after another.

She was not going to die here!

No matter how hard she fought, no matter how determined Wanda was, it all just became too much.

One moment Wanda was holding the shield up, the next she felt a spike of pain through her spine and her vision go blurry. Everything in the tiny room began spinning as the ground rushed up to meet her.

Wanda slowly opened her eyes, not realizing they had even been closed. The first thing she noticed was that the bank vault was gone, as was Aliza and Bucky. The next was the quiet chirp of birds and insects all around her.

Easing herself up to a sitting position, Wanda took a look at her surroundings. She was back outside, but not in the city. Wanda could only stare in disbelief.

She was back at the mountain path again. The only sign that anything happened was that her favorite red coat was missing since Aliza had ripped it off her.

Wanda swore under her breath when her mind finally caught on that it was gone. It had been a present from Steve when she first joined the Avengers. It was one of the few things that she owned she could really call her own. After so many years of living on the streets with nothing that meant a lot.

Her only consolation was the fact that none of this was actually real. Back in the real world she was still wearing it. Even if she still felt its loss here.

Massaging her temples to soothe some of the lingering ache, Wanda moved back to her feet. Her legs supporting her more than she expected.

The path ahead of her looked exactly like it did the last time she was here. Just like last time, Wanda felt something drawing her up the way. Where no doubt that same cabin would be waiting. She needed to get inside, but why Wanda didn't know.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Wanda made her way up the mountain path.

Wanda couldn't help rubbing her bare arms. Her upper body was clad only in a simple top but it was warm here. Regardless she still missed her beloved coat.

Everything happened like before, Wanda followed the path until she reached the porch in front of the small cabin. There were voices coming from within but she still couldn't make them out. The overall warmth of the building was beckoning her to enter.

Wanda hesitated at the first step up the porch steps. Last time she put a foot there she was sent somewhere else. She couldn't stand there debating forever though. So she threw caution to the wind and took that first step.

Nothing happened.

Releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Wanda ascended the steps onto the porch itself.

As she did, Wanda wondered what this place was. It was nowhere she recognized so that leaves the only possibility as it being a memory of Steve. It was too welcoming to be part of the nightmares so that left his dreams.

What was it that continued bringing her here?

Wanda had to admit, it was quite nice. Quiet and away from the bustle of the busy city. It was the type of place Wanda could only imagine in fantasy.

Perhaps answers were inside the cabin itself.

Reaching out, Wanda gripped the doorknob in hand. The metal slightly cool to the touch but not freezing.

Wanda suddenly hurled the door open before she could talk herself out of it.

The moment she did, there was another bright flash of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter actually became a bit longer than I hoped, happy accident. Let's hope it's as good as the previous ones.
> 
> Yes it is my personal head cannon that Wanda's coat we see at the end of Age of Ultron was a welcome to the Avengers gift from Steve.
> 
> Also can anyone actually tell what she has on under that coat? I just assume it's a top here because I can't tell.
> 
> Who's ready to see some of Wanda's own nightmares? Let me know what you all think.


	7. Sokovia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda's journey continues, into her own nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon the wait it took for this one, I have all the stuff past this part planned but was having trouble putting this one down into words, like a lot of trouble. So if this one isn't up to my normal standards that's why.
> 
> Enjoy.

Wanda had to shield her eyes from the bright flash. She had learned by now that the light was one of the things that marked the transition to another part of the dream world.

The destination was not one she expected.

It was yet another city, this one just as ruined as the last. Unlike the previous one, Wanda knew exactly what city this one was. From the decrepit and falling apart buildings, to the language on the signs, she would know this place anywhere. She had grown up and spent almost her whole life here alongside her brother.

Sokovia.

Wanda had sworn to herself after losing Petro that she would never return to this place. Even if it wasn't a giant ruin, she had nothing left here to return to. Sokovia, the Sokovia that Wanda surrendered her very body to HYDRA to protect, was long gone. The few happy memories that lingered here died with her twin.

Pietro was a patriot at heart, he and Wanda both. He would have protected their home from any threat, whether it was outsiders or their fellow Sokovians. Pietro always did say he would give his life to protect their home if need be.

As it turned out he did just that.

At first the only sound was the soft crunch of the snow beneath Wanda's boots. The streets seemed utterly deserted and devoid of life. It wasn't all that different from the real Sokovia Wanda remembered from her childhood.

There had been many days like this. Times when all sides vying for control would take a step back to lick their wounds or plan the next move. Everyone would hide in their homes, utterly terrified that the bloodshed would resume while they're out on the streets. No one wanted to be caught in the crossfire but such a feat was near impossible.

It was a naive belief to think they were safe within their homes. It was a lesson Wanda learned quite tragically.

Wanda had often wondered if the world wouldn't have been better off had she and Pietro died alongside their parents. If she had then maybe Sokovia wouldn't be a smoking crater.

Wanda had set in motion everything that led to its destruction. Awakening Tony Stark's darkest vision was the first domino in the chain of destruction, pain, and misery. A domino that Wanda had knocked over without hesitation. From there he created Ultron in an attempt, misguided thought it was, to prevent his worst fear from happening.

To make matters even worse, Wanda had joined the maniacal machine alongside her brother to fight against the Avengers for vengeance on behalf of their slain parents.

Wanda herself had practically torn the Avengers apart herself with the powers given to her by HYDRA. Even unleashing the Hulk on a nearby unsuspecting city. Their only crime? Being nearby. Who knows how many people died or suffered tragedy there because of her.

Of course it could, and did, get even worse than she thought possible. Ultron turned her beloved Sokovia into a doomsday weapon to wipe out all life on the planet. The Avengers fought their hardest to save as many as possible but there had been too many of Ultron's drones. Wanda was scared to know just how many civilians died in that battle.

Then came the final nail in her coffin. Her precious twin sacrificed his life to save Clint and a young boy. Deep down, when her grief became bearable, Wanda was not surprised. Despite his outward appearance, Pietro was very selfless but only to people he thought deserved it. Her twin was the true Avenger of the two.

All of those people were dead because of her. All of their blood was on her hands, they were practically dripping with the stuff. Wanda could live every day trying to make up for it but it wouldn't be enough.

Wanda tried to take responsibility for her actions after the battle of Sokovia. She should have been punished somehow for what she'd done.

The other Avengers disagreed, vehemently.

"Your twin brother is gone along with your whole family, you've suffered enough." Clint had not said it out loud but Wanda knew what he had been thinking without reading his mind, the dark look on his face spoke volumes.

Wanda let out a soft sigh, her breath crystallizing in the air before her. There was no point in wondering about maybes and what-ifs. As Sam had told her once, what's done is done. She had to look to the future, not the past.

The future was currently a nightmare world that Steve was still lost somewhere within.

Up til now Wanda had been reliving Steve's memories. Apparently it was now her turn. The only question was which memory was she in? Sokovia was often cold, the city always a dilapidated ruin for as long as Wanda could remember. There was no clues to narrow down the possibilities...

"Wanda hide now!" The voice split through the silence from a nearby street. It was familiar but sounded a little off.

Wanda immediately broke into a sprint to find its owner.

Turning the street corner, Wanda caught sight of two figures disappearing into an alleyway. The most she could tell was that it appeared to be two children, one male the other female.

Upon reaching the mouth of the alley, Wanda froze at the sight.

The girl had vanished from sight, but the boy was still there. There was no mistaking the dark hair and eyes that mirrored her own, this along with the voice she heard moments before confirmed her suspicions. The boy was Pietro, but a younger version of her twin. He didn't dye his hair blonde until he was several years older.

Pietro wasn't alone either, he was surrounded by several men. All of whom were glaring at the young Pietro with almost murderous expressions.

"Where's the girl?" The largest of the men, presumably the leader, snarled with the thick Sokovian accent. "We won't ask twice."

"She told you scum no. She won't do it." Pietro growled back, the young boy was outclassed in both size and numbers but was unwilling to back down.

The larger man nodded to one of the three men beside him. The punch to his stomach came at him before he had a chance of dodging it. Pietro doubled over in pain as the air was blown from his lungs.

Grabbing the boy by his neck, he threw him to the ground before landing a kick to his ribs.

"Come on out Miss Maximoff, your brother needs you." The leader called out while his underling continued beating the boy at his feet.

"Wanda don't come out!" Pietro screamed as he spat out blood from a split lip.

Wanda tried throwing a bolt of energy toward the men after the first hit landed but it passed through them like they weren't even there. It was just like the soldier's from Steve's memories. Wanda was merely an observer here.

A shiver of disgust traveled down Wanda's spine. She was beginning to remember this particular memory and what the men wanted her for. Pietro came out of this perfectly fine, but that didn't make watching it any easier.

Eventually the men gave up, but left Pietro a bleeding mess on the frosted asphalt.

Several long minutes past before there was movement from a nearby dumpster. A small shape climbed out before dashing over to the beaten Pietro.

"Pietro!"

It was strange for Wanda to see her younger self in the flesh like this. Physically they were vastly different. The younger Wanda wore ragged clothes with her hair in messy unkempt strands. It was her eyes that Wanda truly saw herself in. That same worry for her brother had been reflected in Wanda's own so many times as to be impossible to count.

"You stayed hidden." Pietro grinned, despite his black eye and bleeding nose. "I'm proud of you."

The younger Wanda was already in tears as she used the sleeve of her tattered jacket to try and clean some of the blood from Pietro's face. If the younger Wanda had the ability to speak she certainly didn't show it.

"That hurt for a while after." The new voice from behind Wanda started the young woman. But the voice with that Sokovian accent... it couldn't be.

Wanda closed her eyes and slowly turned around, she was afraid of being excited only for her hopes to be dashed.

Upon cracking her eyelids, she was greeted by the sight of a smiling Pietro leaning against the nearby wall with his arms folded. Her twin looked exactly as he had when she last saw him, minus the bullet wounds.

"Hello dear sist... oof." Pietro was interrupted when Wanda flung herself at him, throwing both arms around the slightly older Maximoff twin.

Pietro must have expected the move and tried to catch her. Only instead of stopping her, Pietro was knocked back onto his rear with his sister on top of him. Pietro merely laughed as he returned the embrace.

If Wanda was any physically stronger she could have broken bones with the tightness of grip. Pietro didn't seem to mind though.

Wanda closed her eyes and basked in the feel of Pietro's arm arms around her, his fingers running through the strands of her hair like he did when they were younger.

The possibility should have been obvious for Pietro to be here in the dream world somewhere. But it was something Wanda never dared to imagine.

"As happy as I am to see you, I do need to breathe." Pietro wheezed out.

Wanda blushed slightly as she loosened her hold on him just barely. "Sorry."

It took some time for Pietro to convince his sister to let him stand back up. Wanda didn't want to let him go for even a moment. She was afraid the moment she did, he would vanish like the others.

Wanda had moved on from Pietro's death but such a wound never fully healed. It always lurked beneath the surface. Seeing Pietro in person again pulled all of those feelings back to the surface once more.

It was not every day a person got to meet their dead twin again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be totally honest, I didn't like this one hardly at all. Also a heads up, I highly doubt Wanda's portion of the dream world will be anywhere near as long as Steve's. She just hasn't experienced as much compared to him.
> 
> The next chapter is going to be a problem, I don't know what to do for it. I know what I want to do for the finale but between there and here is an issue.
> 
> My original plan has the next chapter, two more after it, then the epilogue. I could use some suggestions about what people want to see in Wanda's nightmares though.
> 
> As always let me know what you all think.


	8. Ghosts of the Fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more sorry for the lateness of the update. This chapter is hopefully the last one I have trouble with. As I type this I still have no idea how I'm going to do it. Last time I had this problem my update took two months. Therefore I am going to try to get this chapter done as quick as possible so I can be done with it once and for all.
> 
> Enjoy.

"Pietro..." Wanda clutched her brother tightly.

After their fight against Ultron was over, Wanda had been left in a dark place. The only family she had left, the only person who ever cared about her, was gone. It was far worse than losing a limb. It was like losing her limbs and all five senses at the same time. Her body and mind both had just shut down once the dust was all settled.

The Avengers had tried at first to help her. Clint had been the one to try his hardest. When it seemed like she was a lost cause, they all slowly gave up one by one.

Natasha of course being the first to do so. Wanda had suspected she was only trying because she was being ordered to. There was still quite a bit of resentment even now with the redheaded assassin. Natasha did have good reason to be bitter toward Wanda though.

Clint, the closest thing she ever had to a father figure in all her memory, had never quite given up. But duties to his wife and children had forced him to be elsewhere. Wanda had a feeling the archer would have camped himself out in her room to watch over her if he didn't already have a family.

Vision had wanted so badly to be of assistance but he lacked any experience to be useful. Rhodes was in a similar situation to the android.

Sam was a man who knew a lot about losing those close to you. From what he had told her consoling people was practically his job before he joined with Steve to tackle HYDRA. His advice and company might have been what allowed her to limp on long enough to get better. Yet even he gave up on her when she continuously relapsed.

As the days passed Wanda would seemingly start getting better. Even the occasional tiny smile or quiet laugh would grace her lips. Then the next day she would do an entire heel turn right back to the darkness. It happened so often that even Sam in all his patience gave up on her.

It had been no surprise to her at the time. She had long been living under the belief that everyone abandoned you eventually. No one could be counted on forever. There were even traitorous sections of her mind that constantly repeated that Pietro would even leave one day.

Oh how right they had been.

Yet through all the depression, the relapses, near suicide attempts, bitter rage borne from sadness and despair, one light remained. There was a single point that remained fixed and simply refused to be moved. Perhaps it was her mind blindly clinging to her guiding light that prevented her sanity from slipping completely.

Steve.

While the other Avengers were falling one by one, he never gave up hope for a moment. Every morning he would greet her cheerfully and warmly. Most of the time instead of treating her like some fragile mental patient that could snap at any moment, which she pretty much had been, he acted like she just needed time. All she needed according to him was friendly company and time to grieve.

He also treated her like a ordinary human and not some freak or glass doll. Something Wanda couldn't even recall ever being treated like in so long.

There was one memory in particular that made Wanda cringe in embarrassment every time it came to mind.

Wanda had just had a horrible relapse during a training exercise with the others. It had been an ordinary day, nothing had really triggered her outburst. She was with Vision, the android was helping to train her control of objects in telekinetic flight.

One second she was holding the discs in the air and something in her snapped. The small metal objects were crushed into dust with a mere gesture of her hand. Vision must have sensed something wrong with her because he tried talking but Wanda had ignored him. Her eyes staring at something far off that only she could see.

It wasn't until later that Wanda found out what happened. Her mind at the time had just broke, she couldn't even remember what she had been seeing when she had her episode. Most of her memories of that evening were a blank space but some of it was in bits and pieces.

Steve ordered everyone out of the gym but stayed behind. Something the others no doubt thought was crazy but they really couldn't refuse or stop the super soldier.

A red cloud had began to envelop Wanda and spread outward causing objects everywhere to levitate and fly around like in the middle of a hurricane. Most of which were moving fast enough as to cause severe damage if they hit you. Even to a super soldier like Steve.

It remained up for debate if it was bravery or stupidity that made Steve approach her. Wanda liked to think it was the former with a pinch of the latter.

Using his enhanced reflexes, Steve had easily dodged the objects until he was about fifteen feet away from her. That was when something else within her shifted. Wanda whirled on Steve with eyes glowing bright red.

That was when Wanda had started screaming. She was later told a fraction of what she said but only got that far because hearing the words that came from her own mouth made her feel sick. She had no right to say any of such hurtful and vicious things to Steve. The super soldier didn't deserve it. Apparently her fractured mind at the time had a different opinion.

As if her outburst couldn't get worse, she started hurling the objects floating around at him. He had thankfully been carrying his shield at the time and just deflected them aside with no effort.

"Come on Wanda, you can throw harder than that." Steve had goaded her further into the frenzy.

When she ran out of gym equipment she began casting small missiles of crimson energy at him. Those were knocked away just as easily as the physical ones by the shield.

It went on like this for the better part of an afternoon. All the while he would keep telling her to try harder and to "hit him with her best shot". But Steve never retaliated, he remained completely on the defensive.

Eventually Wanda had dropped down to her knees. She hadn't even been able to manifest even the tiniest spark of energy she was so exhausted. Right then her mind had began to clear enough to comprehend what was going on.

Steve hadn't said a word further. He merely helped her to her feet and wrapped his large strong arms around her. It was the first time someone actually dared to physically touch her. Wanda practically melted into the embrace and broke down into heart wrenching sobs. For the first time in so long she felt... safe and wanted. To Steve she was more than a head case that could break at the drop of a hat.

It was something Wanda never did thank him for.

"Haven't seen you smile like that in a long time, must be something you like." Pietro's voice tore Wanda away from her memories and back to the here and now. She was still trapped in the dream world and searching for said super soldier.

"It's nothing." Wanda didn't intend to sound so defensive. Nor did she intend for the flush of scarlet that was spreading across her cheeks to be seen by her brother.

"I do know what you're thinking by the way."

"Since when can you read minds Pietro?" Wanda shot back with a small glare for good measure.

"Don't have to. As a manifestation of your mind I don't have to read it. I am your mind dear sister." It was something part of Wanda didn't want to believe. She wanted to just make herself believe he was actually here and this was real. But that was impossible. Pietro was long gone with only an echo remaining.

"Wait, how are you here? The Smoke Man controls this place doesn't he?" Wanda questioned her brother. If the rogue enhanced did have mastery over the dream how was Pietro here? Now that she thought about it Bucky was a similar issue. If the Smoke Man controlled the dream he wouldn't allow any of its denizens to assist Wanda in her rescue mission.

"Don't you understand yet?" Pietro arched an eyebrow. "Your minds are battling for control right now even if you don't know it, but yours is stronger and slowly taking over. The longer you stay the more control you will exert. Your mind created me from a desire to see me again. I am your mind's guardian, created to protect and help you."

That explained his presence but what about Bucky...

"You already met the other guardian." Pietro answered before she could voice her thoughts.

"But I never met him before. How could I dream him?" Wanda was confused. Bucky was a man she never met before her encounter in the forest.

"He was not made by you. He came from the subconscious of the captain." It made perfect sense. That was just like Steve. Even unconscious and trapped in nightmares he was still helping others. And the face worn by him, of course it would be Steve's childhood and best friend.

Something else still puzzled Wanda. If Pietro and Bucky were from the minds of Wanda and Steve, then whose mind was that little girl Aliza from? Evidence indicated only one person could be manifested per mind involved, but the Smoke Man's physical body was long gone. It was doubtful Aliza came from him. Even so she had helped Wanda survive so her presence couldn't be from him.

Wait... there was also the Winter Soldier. If Bucky was the good half of the dream world that made the Winter Soldier the darker half. Pietro was obviously Wanda's good half so who was the dark one for her? She sincerely hoped it was not an evil Pietro. His death was hard enough on her, she wasn't sure she could fight him if it came down to it.

"What about Aliza? Where is she from?" Wanda needed to ask before they were interrupted. No doubt her nightmare was already coming right for them.

Pietro looked at her quizzically. "You don't know? She is..."

"Wanda. Finally found you." The cold mechanical voice was the last thing Wanda expected to ever hear again.

Wanda closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath before she lost control of her rage. She should have known, she should have known he was going to be here. Sokovia, Pietro, they were in the nightmare, so of course he was here as well.

"You." Wanda snarled as she tuned to face the metallic visage of Ultron. He looked just like he had before the final battle in Sokovia. Upgraded with vibranium and a terror to behold. Had Wanda been a normal human she might have been frightened at the sight of the seven foot tall android.

But Wanda was no ordinary human.

The robot before her moved his face in a twisted image of a smile. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Traces of red light were already flying around Wanda. She had killed Ultron once before, she could do so again. It was also not every day you got to kill your brother's murderer twice.

"Wanda stop." Pietro pleaded at her side but Wanda ignored her brother.

Reaching out with her powers, Wanda found Ultron's 'heart' deep inside the metal cage of his chest. She gripped the device and pulled. This was how she killed him last time by literally ripping the heart from his chest while he lay damaged.

Only this time it didn't work.

No amount of telekinetic pulling could dislodge anything. Ultron didn't even seem to be feeling anything either. He just watched, that same smile that made Wanda sick to her stomach on his face.

At Wanda's horrified look, Ultron spoke. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

The woman made no verbal answer. Instead she used her telekinesis to lift multiple pieces of loose stonework all around her and threw them at the machine.

The attack did next to no damage but that was not the intent. The distraction took his eyes off the Maximoff twins for several seconds. Long enough for Pietro to sweep Wanda off her feet and dash away in a blur of movement.

Unfortunately it had been just long enough since she had rode in Pietro's arms that she forgot the number one rule to travel by Pietro. Close your eyes and hold your breath. Before his death, it had been so ingrained in Wanda that she did it naturally and without thought.

Not anymore apparently.

When they stopped, Wanda all but jumped out of Pietro's arms and fell to her knees. Gasping for air she had to repress the intense urge to vomit. The nasty burning in her eyes didn't help matters much either.

Pietro winced as he sat beside her rubbing her back. "Sorry."

Wanda just waved a hand dismissively to tell him it was alright. "Where are we?"

Once enough of the pain in her eyes subsided enough to see, Wanda took stock of her surroundings. They were in what looked like a wrecked apartment building. Large holes were blown in the side of the structure letting you see out over the rooftops of many other buildings around it.

"Too slow!" The Maximoffs had no warning before the colossal bulk of Ultron came smashing through a nearby wall.

Though she was caught off guard, Wanda called on her powers and tore the ceiling down right on top of the machine. The building must have been a lot more unstable than she thought though. When the debris came down so did most of the structure.

Pietro never had a chance to even reach for her before the floor gave way and all three began to fall. Ultron, being far heavier than the others, fell through faster. Wanda and Pietro only fell one floor down before they landed on a slanted piece of woodwork. Instead of going down they went toward the wall leading to a several story drop.

Wanda's hand shot out and caught on to the edge of the ledge just before both went over. Her other hand caught Pietro's just before he went out of reach.

It only took Wanda a second to realize their situation. The collapse seemed to have stopped for now but she couldn't hold both her own weight and Pietro's for very long.

"Let go." Pietro spoke up from below.

"No!" Wanda screamed down as her fingers began to slip.

"I'll be fine." Pietro sounded way too calm for a person hanging over such a deadly drop.

Pietro was just an illusion of Wanda's mind. It wasn't like he could actually die here, unlike her. But what if she was wrong and if he fell that was it for him? She only just got him back. Survival or not Wanda didn't think she could bear the thought of dropping him.

The man took advantage of her distraction and forcefully ripped his hand free from hers.

"PIETRO!" Wanda screamed as she watched her brother fall. He never let out a single sound or moved the entire way down. Wanda took her eyes off his falling form just long enough to strengthen her hold of the ledge but when she looked back down his body was nowhere to be found.

"Hmm quite the predicament." The Smoke Man appeared from nowhere on the ledge just above Wanda. If he wanted to all it would take was a simple stomp of his foot to dislodge her. For reasons known only to him, he didn't. At the same time he didn't pull her up either.

"You know, back in the HYDRA labs I heard about The Battle of Sokovia." The Smoke Man continued, his gaze turned out into the ruined city. "But to see if with my own eyes, quite different."

A first Wanda was puzzled by his words until she heard the screaming from below. She looked down just in time to see several Ultron sentries strafe a group of running civilians with their weapons. They were all killed almost instantly.

"To think you started all this." The Smoke Man never took his eyes from the war torn streets.

"Oh just shut up!" Wanda growled at him. What he was saying was nothing she hadn't told herself a thousand times already. This was not going to be some scene from one of those movies Sam showed her where the villain got to do a, "you screwed up hero" as Sam put it, speech.

"Still feisty I see." The Smoke Man's smile was still as unnerving as it was the last time Wanda saw it. He leaned down so that he would be closer to her. "What do you intend to do to make me?"

The Smoke Man made a fatal mistake when he got closer to her.

Her hand shooting out, Wanda grabbed hold of the front of his shirt and pulled him over the edge. Wanda would have loved to hear his scream as he fell but she was happy with just killing him. Now all she had to do was pull herself up and figure out where Steve was then...

"Really? That was a little immature wasn't it?" Wanda had to do a double take when she heard the voice beside her. The Smoke Man was right beside her standing on a floating disc of black smoke.

What was it going to take to kill this man?!

"Hmm... as fun as our little game has been I'm growing bored." The Smoke Man began. "I think it's time for a change of pace don't you my dear?" Wanda was unable to respond before the Smoke Man delivered a swift kick to her arm. The suddenness of the hit dislodged her grip, the follow up kick knocked her completely from the ledge.

Before Wanda knew it she was falling.

It was a time for desperation. She had one last option left to her now. Levitation was a concept she had often thought about but was never able to get it to work. It would have been useful in many situations since she was one only three Avengers incapable of flight.

The furthest she ever got was only a foot off the ground. Only this time she didn't actually have to fly, just slow her descent enough to survive the fall.

Wanda reached out with her mind like she did any object she lifted. She had to be careful not to exert too much force. No one really understood that telekinesis wasn't as easy as everyone thought. She had to keep constant focus or the object she was lifting would be crushed by too much force exerted on it. It was the reason why she always refused to use her powers to lift the Avengers in the air. Wanda knew she could do it but was scared to try.

As the air rushed past her Wanda could feel the telekinetic force on her own body. But it wasn't enough, she was still falling far too rapidly to survive.

Just before she reached the ground, Wanda reflexively closed her eyes. She had expected pain of some kind, even if the fall did kill her it wouldn't have been instant. There had to of been at least a few seconds of consciousness after impact. Just enough time for some agony to set in.

So why didn't it?

Wanda cautiously opened one eye. She had stopped literally inches away from the metal floor. Wait... metal floor?

Without warning Wanda dropped the last few inches landing face first onto a metal grate. The small amount of pain from that was a worthwhile tradeoff as opposed to being splattered all over the concrete sidewalk.

Groaning softly under her breath and rubbing a now sore nose, Wanda sat up on her knees. The sight before her was one she was saw coming. A large metallic door with the symbol for HYDRA right at the center.

Wanda had seen this door only once before. It led to the warehouse that disguised the HYDRA lab where she, Steve, and Sam fought the three insane enhanced. The place where this nightmare truly began.

The door slowly opened just as Wanda regained her feet. If there was going to be a time to end this, more than likely this was it.

Striding through the door, Wanda found exactly what she was expecting. The warehouse was almost empty just like the first time she had been here. Now however, she wasn't alone. The Smoke Man stood in the middle of the room, his trademark grin plastered on his face. Flanking him on either side was Ultron and the Winter Soldier. Both man and machine waiting for the order to attack.

"Ahhh! The guest of honor finally arrives." The Smoke Man bowed with a flourish. "Welcome."

"Where's Steve?" Wanda demanded, to her surprise the room actually shook with the volume of her voice.

The Smoke Man didn't seem to notice. "The noble captain? Why he's right here."

Wanda's breath caught in her throat when she watched the Smoke Man step to the side, revealing the chained up form of Steve Rogers on his knees behind him. Only the super soldier looked far different than when Wanda last saw him in the hospital bed. What first caught her eye was how skinny he was, the blonde was almost smaller than her. He actually looked a lot like she would have imagined him before he was given the super soldier serum.

"Steve!" Wanda called out to him but he was unresponsive. His eyes were closed and his head down.

Wanda's eyes glowed bright red with anger. What had these bastards done to him?

"Ready to show some teeth my dear?" The Smoke Man smiled again. "You can take him, but you have to get past all of us first."

This was bad, Wanda knew that. She had been unable thus far to fight the Smoke Man in a one on one battle and win. Ultron was seemingly immune to her powers, and Wanda could block only so many bullets from the Winter Soldier's rifle. One would be extremely difficult, three was pretty much impossible.

Just as her resolve began to falter, Wanda's eyes locked onto Steve. After everything she had been through trying to find him, he was right there across the room from her. He was so close she could almost touch him.

With newfound courage in her heart and determination, Wanda gathered her powers and prepared to charge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this seemed a bit rushed or out of pace. I'll put it simply, figuring out what to put in this chapter was hell. I'm also sorry for those who wished to see more of Wanda's nightmares. Maybe I'll do another story about that some other time.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter will be the finale, then one after it and an epilogue.


	9. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda engages the Smoke Man in one final battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just this chapter and one after it left, we're almost done. Sorry if the quality of this is not very good. The lack of reviews on the last chapter beat the crap out of my inspiration.
> 
> Enjoy.

"Are you not tired yet little one?" The Smoke Man giggled.

"SHUT UP!" Wanda snarled. She had tried again and again to get past the three nightmares. Each time they knocked her back with ease. All but her last attempt she had escaped any real injury. Deflecting the bullets of the Winter Soldier's rifle was a bit harder than she expected. A stray one got though and, had she not turned at the perfect time would have been lethal, grazed her cheek.

The stinging pain on her face only pushed her to try harder.

Wiping a small trickle of blood from her skin, Wanda slowly moved to regain her feet. On top of the graze wound she had been thrown across the warehouse floor by Ultron. The machine's body slam struck one of her shields but the force behind it was too great to completely stop. If she had her coat still it wouldn't have been so bad but now her bare arms were covered in numerous small scrapes and cuts.

One thing was not right. These three had more than enough power to kill her. She would of course put up a hell of a fight but that was beside the point. The Smoke Man was the one in charge, he controlled the two nightmares so it was his call not to deal the finishing blow. The question was why.

Before she could stand a pair of different arms reached beneath her own and lifted her up. To her surprise it was Bucky and Pietro. It occurred to her right then that she had yet to see both men together at once before now. She assumed they were only part of their dreamer's landscape.

"Now's a poor time for a nap sister." Pietro smiled as he patted her back gently.

"At last the party's all here." The Smoke Man smiled as he watched. The Winter Soldier and Ultron taking positions at his flanks. "Now the real fun begins."

Pietro gave the Smoke Man a deadpan look before leaning over Wanda to whisper to Bucky. "Which you want?"

"Wanda can have the moron who likes the sound of his own voice. I think I'll take my evil twin. You good with leftovers?" Bucky responded with a grin.

"Delighted." That one word was Pietro's only response before he vanished in a blur of light blue. In the time it took Wanda to blink once, Ultron lurched forward as if struck in the metallic stomach.

While everyone was distracted by the enhanced's attack, Bucky pulled a knife from his leg sheath and hurled it toward the Winter Soldier. He saw the weapon coming a fraction of a second too late but was able to move slightly. Instead of going into his eye it struck his facemask and knocked it completely off.

Wanda still clearly remembered Bucky's words about the Winter Soldier. He had described him as a "ruthless and pitiless killing machine". The only visible difference between the men was the mask worn by the Winter Soldier. Now that it was off Wanda could see why he wore it. The Winter Soldier had no face, literally. Where his countenance should have been was a black void of nothingness. No eyes, mouth, nose, nothing. Just an empty black pit devoid of life or mercy.

Using the opening created by his knife throw, Bucky rushed forth and landed a heavy punch with his metal arm to the Winter Soldier's organic one. The nightmare retaliated but Bucky was faster since he wasn't weighed down by a rifle in his hands. The end result was the Winter Soldier was forced to abandon the weapon to better fight off his attacker.

With Ultron and the Winter Soldier otherwise occupied, that left Wanda to deal with the Smoke Man.

Wanda said not a word as she lunged at the source of her and Steve's torment. This was never going to end until the Smoke Man was dead.

Something Wanda quickly noticed was the Smoke Man's movements were becoming sluggish. Almost as if he was tiring out but that never happened before. Even when she fought him back in the real world he never slowed down like this.

Not only was the Smoke Man seemingly getting weaker, he was using the same attack patterns. His favorite appeared to be using the wisps of smoke he created like rapid moving whips. Wanda's shields could block them but they were so numerous it was difficult to. It was made all the harder to fight back because she had to keep concentration on her barrier to stop from being flayed alive.

The Smoke Man had to of been able to use the smoke for other things. She had seen earlier when he was able to levitate using a black disk of smoke then there was the goblin like monsters he was able to create. Whatever his reasons, the Smoke Man was limited to his basic attacks. But of course they were formidable on their own.

The woman didn't get a chance to muse further on her observation before a stray smoke tendril got past her defenses and swiped one of her legs out from under her. Just before hitting the concrete floor, she was able to hurl another energy bolt that caught the Smoke Man in the gut knocking him off his feet as well.

As Wanda clambered back to her feet she found that the Smoke Man was not the only one weakening. She could feel the telltale trickle of blood coming from her nose that always came with the overuse of her powers. If the minor throbbing between her temples was any indication there were more symptoms coming.

Wanda must have used too much trying to survive the one of three battle before the arrival of Bucky and Pietro. She knew she had been pushing herself but it was that or die on the spot.

Shaking of some of the encroaching dizziness, Wanda swiped the blood from beneath her nose with the back of her hand.

If she had to press herself to the brink of death then so be it. At the very least she didn't have to defeat the Smoke Man. She only had to outlast him. If he collapsed first maybe she would be able to break Steve out of the nightmare. No matter what happened here she was getting Steve out.

Even if it killed her.

Once more Wanda charged the Smoke Man. The red light that heralded her powers swirling around her form like a wild tempest.

Wanda never allowed the Smoke Man a chance to regain his assault. The woman unleashed a hailstorm of hex bolts onto him before he could even raise a whip to attack. Wanda thought she finally had him when the hits began to strike him directly instead of smoke clouds.

She saw the deception too late when another lash swung around and struck her from the side. The blow was strong enough to throw her into the air where another tendril wrapped around her waist before hurling her into a nearby wall.

Unsure if the crack she heard was real or imaginary, Wanda barely managed to stand back up before he arms were pinned to the wall by more clouds of smog.

At this point Wanda was seeing stars, both from the impact trauma and overexerting her powers. Yet still she tried to tear her hands free but they were stuck fast.

Her position directly paralleled her first fight with the Smoke Man. He had her against the wall just like this and was about to land what she thought was the deathblow before Steve intervened. Only this time there would be no Steve to rescue her. He was still chained up to the floor and unresponsive to any of the three fights in the warehouse.

"Well my dear you certainly know how to put up a fight." The Smoke Man approached her. He was clutching his side and Wanda could see some blood between his fingers. Her bolts must have done more damage than she thought.

"Took more effort than I predicted." The Smoke Man coughed violently several times, a tiny stream of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

A lot more damage than she thought.

"But I'm afraid it's over little one." Wanda ignored the Smoke Man in favor of trying to free herself. Her powers were not working without the movement of her hands.

"Looks like I finally get to take you dancing in the darkness." The Smoke Man practically giggled as he reached for her head.

Whatever the Smoke Man was planning or thinking he was most certainly not prepared for the brutal kick Wanda landed to his groin.

The Smoke Man cried out in agony and leaned forward subconsciously. Wanda then proceeded to headbutt him in the nose. He stumbled back holding his now bloody, and probably broken, nose.

With the Smoke Man's concentration shattered, the black vapor holding Wanda onto the wall dissipated. She didn't hesitate for a second before landing a punch straight to the Smoke Man's jaw.

It was common knowledge Wanda disliked direct fighting. It mostly stemmed from her physical weakness. She lacked the muscle or skill of someone like Natasha Romanoff. That was why Wanda always relied on her powers to contribute to the team. She had a part to play and did so well.

The Smoke Man was inside her head so he knew she hated to get physical when fighting. It was because of this that Wanda switched to more direct combat. That and Wanda was unsure if she even could use her powers anymore without passing out. Pure adrenaline was keeping her not only standing but fighting.

The Smoke Man was caught completely off guard by the ferocity of her assault. He couldn't even muster up more than using his arms to shield himself. When he covered his face with an arm, Wanda punched his side wound. When he covered his stomach, she struck his neck or face instead. Each blow didn't have much strength behind it but they had enough.

Her hands hurt, her knuckles bruised and bleeding, Wanda refused to relent or even slow down. All her mind could conjure up was the image of Steve chained to the floor nearby.

Finally she channeled the last bit of her powers she could into one final blow to the Smoke Man's wounded hip. Wanda felt her fist tear through flesh like tissue paper. The Smoke Man fell to the ground screaming in pain holding his side.

Wanda sucked in heavy breaths as she regarded him one last time with her eyes. Her punch had created a small explosion that tore his side open. The Smoke Man was bleeding profusely while clutching his side but it did no good. The wound was simply too big for that now.

A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over Wanda. It was not the first time she had seen so gruesome a sight but it was the first she pushed her body so hard. Never before had Wanda felt so tired and drained. It was taking everything she had not to fall to her knees.

Rest could come later, first there was something else she had to do.

Forcing her legs to move, Wanda made her way over to Steve. The super soldier still hadn't moved an inch since her arrival.

"Steve? Can you hear me?" Even Wanda noticed the hitch in her voice. With Wanda less than a foot away the super soldier wouldn't acknowledge her presence.

"Steve?" Wanda reached out and put a hand on his shoulder only to receive the shock of her life when she passed right through him. The image before her lasted only a second longer before vanishing in a whoosh of smoke.

"Steve!" Wanda screamed as she began to panic. He was right here... wasn't he?

A quiet laugh from the Smoke Man reached Wanda's ears. He was still where she left him, laying in a growing pool of his own blood.

With murder in her eyes, Wanda got back up and kneeled beside the Smoke Man. She seized him by the front of his shirt to look him square in the eye.

"Where is he?" It was the most vicious Wanda had ever sounded. She would have been surprised by the gruffness of her own voice if she hadn't been internally freaking out.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" The Smoke Man coughed up more blood. "You already know where the noble captain is."

"I don't!" Wanda shook him violently. She was within a hair of trying to beat the information out of him when the Smoke Man continued.

"He awaits you... at the nexus point. You've been there before little one." The Smoke Man's voice grew weaker and weaker with every word that passed his bloody lips.

"What are you talking about?" The Smoke Man was fading fast but she still had more questions. What on earth was the nexus point? She had been to several places during her stay in the dream world. How was she supposed to know what the hell he was talking about?

"Give my regards to... the captain." The Smoke Man's body went still and limp beneath Wanda's hold.

Wanda watched as he slowly turned into a cloud of black smoke and vanished from the floor. Despite the untrustworthiness of your eyes in the dream world, somehow Wanda knew that the Smoke Man was gone permanently.

A mountain of question still plagued Wanda's mind. The nexus point, whatever that was, was where Wanda needed to go to find Steve. Perhaps Bucky and Pietro...

Bucky and Pietro!

Wanda had been so distracted by her conversation with the dying Smoke Man that she didn't hear sounds of battle anymore.

At first Wanda couldn't see them. It took a second for her eyes to catch them standing near what appeared to be a freight elevator. Both men were badly beaten up but very much alive.

"It's time Wanda." Bucky said as Wanda approached the pair.

"Time for what?"

"To go home." Pietro answered for her as the two opened the elevator door for her.

"I'm not going anywhere without Steve!" Wanda snapped but Bucky and Pietro only smiled.

"Even before he died, the Smoke Man lost control of this world." Bucky began. "There is nothing stopping you from reaching the place anymore."

Wanda eyed the elevator. She could feel this was where she needed to go. How she knew that there was no telling.

"Pietro..." Wanda knew eventually she would be leaving this world. By extension would be leaving Pietro. He was long dead, he didn't exist in the real world anymore.

This would be the last time she could see him.

Pietro said nothing. Opting to move closer and wrap his arms around his twin sister. Wanda clutched to him like a lifeline.

It reminded her of the first time they had seen each other once being let out of their individual cells at the HYDRA base in Sokovia. The twin had nearly crushed each other to death by the strength of their embrace. This time was no different except for that was a greeting, this was the final farewell.

"Goodbye dear sister, I love you so." Wanda was not able to respond before Pietro pushed her into the elevator and closed the gate with the help of Bucky.

"Pietro wait!" Wanda slammed her hands against the door to no avail. It had occurred to her she would need a push, literal or not, to let go but she wouldn't admit to that even inside her thoughts.

"I'm so proud of you sister, and I do approve of the captain." Pietro flashed her one of the warm grins Wanda missed so much. What he meant by the second part Wanda was unsure.

"Do me a favor ma'am." Bucky stepped up to the closed gate. "Look after Stevey for me. He needs others more than he lets on. Needs you more than he lets on."

Reaching over to the wall, Bucky struck a button with fist. The elevator jerked slightly before beginning to ascend.

Wanda could only watch as Bucky and the still smiling Pietro disappeared from view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review to let me know what you all think. Next is the final chapter- Journey's End.


	10. Journey's End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait it took for this one. Internet crapped out on me so I couldn't get anything to upload for the last week.
> 
> Here is the final chapter for Nightmares and Dreamscapes.
> 
> Enjoy.

Wanda had never ridden in many elevators before joining the Avengers. There were rarely any she had an opportunity to be in during her childhood. The HYDRA base had some but not any for the likes of her.

Despite this Wanda hated the damn things.

It felt like hours ago that she had said goodbye to Bucky and, for the second last time, Pietro. The entire while all the woman could do was stand there in the metallic cage and wait. Her only company the loud whirl of the elevator rising in the shaft.

It was little consolation that wherever she was going was the place to finally end this nightmare once and for all. Whatever the 'nexus point' was this would take her there.

When the machine finally stopped Wanda was about ready to blow the doors open just to get out faster. When they finally opened, she was a little surprised to find herself at the start of a very familiar mountain path.

Wanda followed the path up the mountain much like before. Also just like the last time she was here there was something drawing her down the road, something calling to her.

The Smoke Man was right, she had been here before. But there was one place she had yet to be able to reach because something was always stopping her.

The cabin.

It wasn't long before Wanda found herself in front of said structure. All was exactly as it was the last several times she was here. Silhouettes moved around in the windows but she was unable to tell much beyond they were people. There was an overt sense of welcome and warmth radiating from the place.

Wanda stepped up to the door and was about to grip the knob when she stopped. That hadn't worked last time. She was just thrown somewhere else every time she tried to open the door. Time for a new tactic.

Instead of opening the door, the young Avenger brought her hand up and knocked on the wood.

There were muffled voices on the opposite side before the portal opened to reveal a smiling Aliza.

"You made it!" The little girl squealed as she snatched Wanda's hand and jerked her inside. The older woman was almost pulled clear off her feet in surprise.

"Aliza? What are you doing here?" Wanda asked curiously while the little girl all but dragged her down the hall.

Several hanging photographs caught Wanda's eye. The people in them were blurry but the one thing that wasn't was Aliza. The blonde girl was in several of them with fuzzy shapes of what Wanda assumed were the girl's parents.

"I live here silly." Aliza smiled over her shoulder. "Come on, mommy wants to see you."

Not knowing what else to do, Wanda followed the girl further into the house. Hopefully whoever the girl's mother would know something to direct her toward Steve. If Wanda got lucky she would find the super soldier sitting in a chair or something.

Wanda heard Aliza's mother before seeing her. The sound was a soft humming that sounded suspiciously like an old Sokovian nursery rhyme. Wanda recognized the song but it was altered. As if someone had heard it once before but didn't remember it clearly.

When Aliza and Wanda turned the corner they stepped into a kitchen. On the other side of the room's main table was a woman standing over a sink with her back to them. She wore a simple red dress similar to the one Aliza wore.

Something about her seemed awfully familiar to Wanda.

"Mommy look who finally made it!" Aliza rushed around the table to tug at her mother's sleeve.

When Aliza's mother turned around Wanda felt her body freeze. There was a reason why the woman was so familiar.

"Well well, you finally got here Wanda." Aliza's mother was a spitting image of Wanda herself. The only difference between the two was what they wore and a difference in voice. This Other Wanda's voice had a slightly less thick Sokovian accent than Wanda's. "Took you long enough."

Wanda was speechless. It was like looking in a mirror but the mirror could talk back. If she wasn't so sure she was still in the dream world she would be worried she finally went insane.

"Yes it must be weird I know." Other Wanda put the dish she had been drying away on a rack and moved closer to Wanda. "You have a lot of questions I'm sure."

"Who the hell are you?" Wanda practically vomited the words out before she could stop herself.

Other Wanda laughed softly. "I'm you, well not quite. Obviously I'm not real but you are."

"You're not mommy." Aliza piped up from where she was standing with her arms around Other Wanda's waist. There was no trace of bitterness in the little girl's voice, just a statement a fact.

Wanda had forgotten about the young girl until she spoke. "Uh... mommy?"

Other Wanda smiled down at Aliza and ran her fingers through the girl's hair. Whom soaked up the attention up like a sponge. "You didn't see it before Wanda? Look closely at her, what do you see?"

Wanda never did have a chance to get a close look at the little girl. Doing so now allowed Wanda to see a few things she hadn't seen before. The first being her darker eyes, they were the same ones Wanda saw each time she looked at her own reflection. Some of her facial features were the same too, such as her nose.

Then there was her name. Wanda had heard it before when Aliza first told her it but couldn't place it at the time. Something about hearing Aliza was her 'daughter' jogged Wanda's memory. A very long time ago, before the deaths of her parents, Wanda had a grandmother who died when she was young. Her name had been Aliza.

"If I... I mean you, are Aliza's mother... who's her father?" No one, as far as Wanda knew, had blonde hair in her family. Pietro's was dyed to look blonde, it was naturally identical color to hers.

"Everything you see here is a representation of maybe and what ifs Wanda." Other Wanda ignored her question about Aliza's parentage. "Myself, Aliza, this cabin, all of it. All three are partially born from your own mind. That's how I know everything you do. Everything, even what you refuse to admit to yourself."

There was something about the way Other Wanda said that last part that reminded Wanda of Bucky. He even had the same look on his face when he said something similar.

"If all of this is partially from me, who else is it from?

Other Wanda smiled. "Now you're finally understanding. Think about it, who else's mind is in play here?"

The only people who had a functional mind operating in this dream world had been Wanda herself, the Smoke Man, and Stev...

Wanda's mind came to a screeching halt.

"Now she sees my little dove." Other Wanda patted Aliza on the head while the girl nodded with a brilliant smile.

Wanda's gaze snapped to Aliza again for a second hard look. The blonde hair... the surprising strength... even some of the facial features.

"This place is a combination of your and Steve's deepest desires. So deep that even yourselves may not know you want it." Other Wanda explained. "Steve wants someone to care for and a safe place, you wanted a family of your own you that you could take care of. Not to mention something of a crush on the captain." Other Wanda smiled knowingly at Wanda.

"Wha... that's not... I mean..." Wanda stammered, a flush rising to her cheeks rapidly. Of course Wanda had never met anyone quite like Steve. A man without deception and with a heart like no other. Even if he hadn't been Captain America he would still be one of the greatest people she had ever met...

Oh god she had it bad...

"You can lie to everyone, even to yourself, but you cannot deceive me Wanda." Other Wanda never stopped smiling. "Just so happens I have some good news for you."

Wanda groaned under her breath, her blush growing even stronger. She was already embarrassed enough as it is.

"Your little crush is also not completely one-sided."

Wanda's breath caught in her throat. "What's that mean?"

"Do you really think I would be here if Steve didn't share some of these feelings?" Other Wanda's words did make sense. "So when you two get back, do yourself a favor and be honest with him. He doesn't have much experience with women."

"When we get back?" Wanda eyed Other Wanda curiously.

"Of course, Steve is standing right there. I suspected he already figured out what he's been living isn't real."

Wanda spun her head so fast she almost got whiplash.

There he was, after all the hell Wanda had gone through to get here Steve was right there in the doorway. If the look on his face was any hint he was just as perturbed by the two Wandas as she had been. How long had he been standing there?

Wanda was torn between rushing to give him a hug and actually saying something.

"Wanda?" Steve was the first one to speak.

"Time for you to go darling." Other Wanda was the one to respond. "The real Wanda is here to take you home."

Steve's eyes were moving back and forth between the two women. He looked every bit as nervous as Wanda.

Other Wanda let out an exasperated sigh. "That's it. You'll thank me for this later."

Before Wanda could do anything else, Other Wanda grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her toward Steve. The super soldier easily caught the smaller woman in his arms.

The instant the two Avengers made contact the room around them erupted in a flash of light.

The first thing Wanda felt when she opened her eyes was the rough material of Steve's uniform against her cheek.

She was mildly disoriented at first but quickly found she was back to sitting in the chair beside Steve's hospital bed. Her head was resting on the super soldier's arm.

"Wanda?" Sam's voice came from nearby but Wanda's head was still too dizzy to pinpoint where.

"How long was I out?" Wanda asked while she rubbed her throbbing temples. A nasty headache had already formed.

"Less than a minute." Sam answered.

"Exactly fifty-two seconds." Came Visions own answer from the doorway.

There was no way Wanda was only gone that long. It had to have been hours at the very least. Maybe even half a day, it certainly felt like it.

Anymore thoughts in that direction were stifled when everyone heard a groan from the bed.

"Steve!" Natasha shot forward from the other side of the hospital bed. "Can you hear me?"

"Not so loud Nat..." Steve grumbled as his eyelids slowly opened.

The room suddenly felt very stifling to Wanda. She was certainly happy to see Steve was awake again but she needed to get away from everyone. Her mind needed to process everything she learned.

Using the excuse she was tired from her little mental sojourn, Wanda fled the room before anyone could stop her.

Part of Wanda hoped Steve didn't remember anything that happened in the dream world. A different piece of her hoped the super soldier remembered every detail. Which outcome was better was a debate raging in Wanda's head like an out of control wildfire.

If Steve did remember... what was she supposed to do? She could picture Other Wanda telling her she needed to just confess to the man and get it over with.

Hours later, Wanda had made no traction in her thoughts. Ever since her return to the real world she had been holed up in her room with the door shut.

Nothing physical carried over from the mental journey. Her favorite coat was back, the cut on her cheek was gone. It all just felt weird.

A knock on her door interrupted Wanda's thoughts. "Come on in."

Of all people to have paid her a visit, she never would have dreamed it was Steve.

Wanda was rooted to the spot as Steve closed the door behind him. The super soldier stood in her room looking unsure of what he should do or say. If the way he was avoiding looking at Wanda herself was to be believed that answered one of Wanda's burning questions.

Steve definitely remembered everything.

"I wanted to say thank you." Steve began. "For coming for me." It was moderately relieving to Wanda to hear the same nervousness in his voice that Wanda was currently feeling.

"You're welcome." Wanda was only able to force out those two words. There was nothing else her brain could conjure up.

A thick silence fell over the room. Both Avengers taking great pains to avoid looking directly at the other for fear of what they would find.

"Everything I know about dating is over seventy years old..." Steve was the first to take the plunge. That was Steve for you, first into battle and last out. "I don't really understand the more modern ways."

Wanda marshaled all the courage she could find. "I've never had a boyfriend, never had a first kiss either." Once more Wanda's face was burning hot. The confession made her beyond embarrassed but it felt like the right time to say it.

When she had been growing up each day was about survival. The only time another person mattered in the slightest was when the other person was her brother Pietro. There was no time for things like boys, kisses, and dates.

By now the pair had been able to look at each other. Wanda found the blonde man was just as flushed as she was if not more.

"So I..." Wanda swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Wouldn't be opposed to seeing how dating was back in your day." As soon as the words past Wanda's lips she felt a two ton weight being lifted from her shoulders.

"In that case would you be interested in a date this coming Saturday?" Steve asked, a hint of trepidation still in his tone.

Wanda could not stop her lips from raising into a smile. "I would love to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this meets all your expectations. I'm really not feeling all that good about this one. This is also probably going to be one of my last stories for a while. I need a break from fanfiction.
> 
> Let me know what you all think.

**Author's Note:**

> What will Wanda find when she enters the dream world of Steve Rogers?
> 
> When will I update this?
> 
> All questions that will be answered but I fully intend for this to be multiple chapters. If anyone would like to offer suggestions as to what could happen feel free to let me know. Reviews are always welcome.


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